Of Marigolds and Dragonflies
by NumbKid
Summary: Death seemed everywhere for her, being the grim reaper herself. Death was surrounded by him, being the survivor among the exiled males of his race. Botan and Hiei were two contrasting creatures, yet the mourning of the dead was something they had in common.
1. Prologue

Yu Yu Hakusho Fanfiction

HieixBotan Story

Of Marigolds and Dragonflies

"Prologue"

* * *

 ** _Just a few author's notes:_**

 ** _1\. I have not seen the last episode of YYH, so I may not get the facts correctly._**

 ** _2\. This is my very first YYH and HieixBotan fanfic, so I am pretty much inexperienced._**

 ** _3\. This is a HieixBotan pairing fic, so if you do not like the ship, please spare both of us the trouble and not read/comment on this._**

 ** _4\. I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, which is what fanfics are for actually._**

 ** _5\. This is for the HieixBotan week started on Tumblr. This is the only chapter I can contribute for now. Hopefully, this is sufficient and it will contribute meaningfully to the HB community._**

 _ **6\. I meant to have this for Day 3 Prompt: Family, but I was so exhausted and busy in school that it had to be postponed.**_

* * *

There was a knock at the door.

"Who's there?" Koenma asked, rooted to his seat that was surrounded by a pile of papers.

"It's Botan-"

"Just a moment!"

Immediately, Koenma scrambled, transforming into his adult form.

"Okay, come in!" he called out. He realised that there was still the Mafukan stuck in between his lips. As subtle as he could, he removed it, though it had been too late - Botan had already seen the Mafukan.

Koenma was unsure if the sight of his toddler form would trigger unpleasant memories from Botan, but he had to be careful.

Clearing his throat, he asked, "what brings you here? I thought I had already given you on this day, for the rest of the years, your extra day off. On top of that, you have been working on days that were supposed to be your day-off."

The blue-haired girl forced a laugh, "oh Koenma, I'm just helping the other ferry girls out! Sometimes I get so bored after all! And besides, the death rate had been incr-"

"Botan-" he interrupted sternly, "the death rate has been uniform this past year. As much as I'd like to praise you for your hard work, it isn't healthy to use work for grief. Not when your profession is ferrying souls."

At this, her shoulders slumped, and for once, the talkative girl remained silent. He sighed, "look Botan. The past decade had been tough for all of us. Human life expectancy is relatively short as compared to demons. More so of spirits who exist forever. I cannot say I know how you feel, or dare tell you to move on, but I'm sure Yusuke and the others will be unhappy if you're in this state. All I say is not to punish yourself for what has happened; it was neither your fault nor his."

Still, silence. It was not too difficult to tell that she was dealing with her emotional turbulence. The threat to cry was an insurmountable task for the girl who wore her heart on her kimono sleeve.

"I'm pretty sure _he_ would not want to see you like this either-"

She was frowning now, contemplating hard at the truth of Koenma's words. The prince did not dare mention a name, but there was a silent comprehension of who that was. She finally spoke, "alright, I was just here to tell you that I'm going to the human world. It's today, and I'd like to visit my little sunshine."

"Very well, you may go," he flickered his wrists, returning his attention to his paperwork.

"And Koenma?"

"Thank you," she said with a slight bow.

The prince feigned ignorance, scrunching his nose, "whatever for?"

"For being tactful. But you don't need to compromise your toddler form. It doesn't bother me," Botan smiled, as heartwarming as she could.

Koenma sighed as his employee left. This decade has been a complete mess for all of them, especially for two particular individuals.

If only Botan and Hiei would come to terms with each other.

* * *

As Botan exited Koenma's office, whispers that were echoing in the hallway suddenly ceased. She simply smiled and paraded across the hall, knowing fully what the whispers were saying:

 _"Botan? That girl, she has been an impure woman!"_

 _"Such a disgrace, mixing around with a demon. More so that he is a criminal!"_

 _"Heh. That's what she gets for being strumpet for a demon!"_

 _"That lewd minx is still working as one of the top ferry girls? She must have her knees worn-out, and it isn't because she was praying-"_

 _"What happened to her a year ago was a punishment for her being a tramp. For a demon that is-"_

Botan tried her best to shut them all out. They were like bees who never knew when to stop buzzing. They did not know what it felt like to be in her shoes, they would never have understood her plight.

* * *

It had been a year.

Botan sniffled, trying not to cry for the umpteen time as she clutched onto the banquet of flowers. She had a bunch of white lilies and marigolds, wrapped in pink and baby blue parchment paper that she got from a florist shop. She was on the way to a particular monument, one that brought her pain whenever she sees it.

It was snowing rather harshly. It was December in the human world after all.

She loved him. He was a part of her, although she never really knew him.

His future could have been bright if he had lived. He would have indeed been strong, due to his lineage. He probably would be stubborn, yet with a heart pure of gold. Or maybe it will be a mixture.

She did not have the opportunity to get to know him. But she knew that he would have accomplished many things in the Three Worlds that would have made her proud of him.

She remembered the day where she had to ferry him. It was the most laborious task she had, in all of her years providing service as a grim reaper. She remembered how she tearfully embraced his miniature soul. She remembered how he cried too, but did not speak. Or rather, _could not_ speak. She recalled telling him that she loves him, that she had been a horrible person for letting him die. Yet, he did not resent her. He only gave a small wave of farewell, before disappearing into the fog.

* * *

Hiei stood in front of that monument, his hands balled into a fist. The memorial was a stark reminder of his failure to protect _someone_ important to her...and to him.

If Hiei was not that stubborn or prideful, he would have protected _him_. If he had been there, that monument would not have stood in this barren snowy land, reminding him of his incompetence.

 _If, if, if_ \- he screamed internally.

His blood dripped down onto the ground, his sharp fingernails digging deep into his palm. The crimson colour painted the plain snow-covered ground, filling its plain whiteness with life. This was the only way to compensate for the ache in his heart.

 _You're an incompetent fool_ -he reprimanded himself.

Hiei was an S-class demon, but could not even protect _him_. Ha! What silliness.

That fact mocked the S-class fire demon. The power he had been striving for since childhood no longer held meaning if he had failed to guard this one life.

Hiei had allowed _him_ to die. He was gone, no one could bring _him_ back. No amount of remorse could resurrect the dead.

"You _little hybrid_... why did you have to go?" Hiei gritted his teeth, frustration burning within him. The fire demon emitted heat, out of self-hatred, causing the surrounding snow to melt. The ice turned into a colourless liquid - a painful reminder of why the ice maiden feared and subjected him into exile.

Perhaps it would have been a blessing in disguise. The life of hybrids, no matter what type of race: human, demon or spirit, would have been doomed since birth. Hybrids were naturally sentenced to death or rejected by their dual society. Hiei was a male fire demon, born from an ice maiden of supposedly all-female race. Unlike Hiei, _this hybrid_ was only a _half-demon_ , but a hybrid nonetheless. Hiei tried to reason with his inner emotions that perhaps it would have been better for the hybrid to be dead, rather than suffer continuously if it had lived.

But Hiei knew he was lying to himself.

The fire demon wanted _the hybrid_ to continue living.

Then perhaps maybe, just maybe, Botan would resent him less.

 _"He's gone, Hiei! Isn't that what you wanted? Leave me alone... He's gone... I have to ferry him back later..."_

Her words, laced with spite, replayed in his mind. It had been a year since she said it, but it was etched in his memory.

Two tears slid from his face. One from his right crimson eye, the other was from his Jagan eye. The bloody tear from his artificial eye smeared his nose bridge, and he wiped it away with his cloak.

He failed to clean up the other tear. It fell to the ground, solidifying into a black stone that bounced off the white-covered floor. They were like Yukina's white hiruseki stones, but his was black.

It was not the first time he had produced a black stone. He had theorised that the forbidden males of his race produced dark hiruseki stones when they shed tears - a stark contrast from their female counterparts.

He loathed this heavy emotion he was feeling. He tried to remove it, but there was no one to project the deep anger he was harbouring towards himself. He could kill, yes, but massacres would only numb him temporarily. The very scarlet paint of the dead low-class demons splashed on his skin, and its metallic smell reminds him of _that hybrid_ 's death.

Step.

Hiei's senses were alerted. Someone was approaching the late hybrid's grave. He did not have to turn around to know who's steps were those.

There could have been only one person that would go through the lengths to visit the grave on this very day, despite the cold seasonal weather on _the hybrid_ 's death anniversary.

It was that woman.

The one that resented him.

The ferry girl, the bubbly - but probably not so bubbly now- grim reaper.

The one that bore _the hybrid_ , a half-demon, in her womb.

* * *

Botan was nearing her destination. The monument came into her view now. There was a figure standing infront of her beloved child's tomb.

Wait. Was there someone else?

The fire demon let out a curse. He quickly left the scene, jumping onto a nearby tree.

The last thing he wanted was for her to see him here, when obviously she wanted nothing with him, especially when their last argument was about this.

The grim reaper blinked. The figure was nowhere to be found. Had she been so melancholic that she was hallucinating?

She shook her head. She was definitely seeing things. She did not want to hope that he would visit her child. That would have meant that he cared, which contradicts her accusation directed towards him the last time she had spoken to the fire demon.

Another tear fell. She regretted accusing Hiei. Regardless whether Hiei was guilty or not guilty of her accusation, she should not have pushed him away like that. She reprimanded her irrationality. She wore her heart on her sleeve and possessed no filter in her words. She was just so devastated at her loss that the words had articulated automatically. But it was not an excuse for her to lash out at him like that.

She placed the flowers on the foot of her child's grave, kneeling in the process. She wiped the stone, dusting off the snow that covered its unnamed carving and its written date.

"I love you, my son. And... I'm sorry..." she talked as if she was talking to her hybrid child. The Spirit World was still under Enma, and he had banned her from seeing the spirit of her "tainted" child. Koenma would have helped, but all he could do for the meantime was to give Botan a day off on this very day. The prince had promised that he would make changes once he overtakes his father.

"I'm sorry... I left you unnamed. I wanted _your father_ to name you when you are born, but that never happened of course. And I guess I would need to apologise to him too. I never meant any of those words. But I don't know where he is. I don't care if he hates or doesn't care about me... I just wanted him to acknowledge you, that's all..." Botan rambled on, but she had to halt to allow herself to cry.

"Oh heavens... I would do anything to hold you..."

She cried even more. Will he have powder blue hair and light purple eyes like hers? Or perhaps with black hair? Will his hair be straight down or up? Will he be a sweet, cheerful boy like her?

Or stubborn and guarded like his father?

The ferry girl secretly wished her child would inherit his father's crimson eyes. Those red orbs held anger, superiority and intensity; that it intimidated and enchanted her.

The appearance of her child was only up to her imagination now. She would _never_ have the opportunity to hold his tiny figure, sing lullabies to him or watch the boy grow up to become a powerful half-demon.

Her eyes cast to the floor. She ought not to have the "what if"s that was unhealthy for her mentality. She was about to rise up to leave when a black item caught her eye. It was shimmering against the whiteness of the floor, so foreign and salient from its surroundings - it definitely was unnatural for it to be there. Out of curiosity, she picked it up.

"This looks oddly familiar..."

* * *

The forbidden child became anxious. Damn it all! He did not notice producing a black hiruseki stone.

He silently prayed that she would be ditzier than usual, to dismiss that blasted item as insignificant and toss it aside. Much to his dismay, she did not. She pocketed it in her purse.

He wanted to use his Jagan eye to invade her mind, but he refrained from doing so. He had given her his word not to disrespect her privacy unless she was in a life-threatening situation. He carried the same oath to his superior and twin sister. This was not a life-threatening situation. He had never shed a tear in the presence of anyone anyway, so there is a high chance that she would not even know this fact about him.

Moreover, he was afraid. Surely he desired to see if her grudge towards him remained, but he was afraid. What if she still blames him? He was dying to know, but he was afraid of the answer.

Wait...afraid? Such absurdity. Hiei Jaganshi feared nothing.

 _Almost_ nothing.

* * *

A new surge of hope swelled inside the ferry girl's heart. This stone... she had seen them before.

She never told Hiei this, but the first time she found them was on her bed, the morning after their first night. She doubts that he had been aware that he let out a tear. Perhaps it was more emotional than she thought it would be for him. This whole activity was just comfort for her, while it was an outlet to vent out his frustrations. It was not meant to have more profound meanings than primal lust.

The fact that the stone was here meant that he did visit. On top of that, he shed a tear for the hybrid child.

She noticed droplets of dried blood staining the ice around her and the melted snow. Why was there blood? Was there an injury?

Was he alright?

So Hiei had been here, no doubt.

* * *

 _Shit!_

The three-eyed demon cursed for the umpteen time for his carelessness. The woman was sharper than they had credited her for. People had often dismissed her as a carefree, ditzy and naive ferry girl that they had failed to notice that she had become more wary and jaded ever since this whole ordeal.

He frowned as he witnessed her looking around. This could not be good. He had to get away before the situation gets worse.

As if his legs were on autopilot, he hopped onto trees hurriedly, out of this area.

"Whatever happens to the woman will be none of my concern," he chanted to himself.

He had a swell of conflicting emotions for that woman. She irritated him with her babbling and nagging, as well as her idealistic notions and beliefs. Yet that very annoying high-pitched voice pleased his ears when she screams and pleads with both pleasure and pain, especially when she says his name. That light-blue hair of hers was too bright for his liking, but he had liked it whenever he pulls a bunch of it as it sprayed all over her pillow.

It was confusing, really. He wanted to choke and torture her, yet he wanted to taste her lips and worship her skin. Or maybe it was both? If he had known better, she was a witch that had him under a powerful perverse spell, rather than a mere grim reaper.

Hmph, that wretched witch with purple eyes! It was a weak way to convince himself, just to prevent him from appearing before her.

Perhaps this was fate's cruel way of conveying a lesson to inbreds like him that they did not deserve such blessing. Such goodness and warmth of belonging did not sit well with forbidden children, and longing for it will bear massive consequences.

It was unnecessary for a fighter like him, right? He did not have the time to entertain such foolishness.

These type of "accessories of life" did not suit him. It was like that one burning star that Hiei could only condescendingly look at, but touching it? It would only burn his fingertips.

He should not have started the affair with that annoying woman in the first place. It was his fault.

Unlike the woman, he _thinks_ that he did not deserve or ever needed this. Certainly, a part of her yearned for that kind of peace that humans desired - she was once human anyway. Surely, she would want a man who can rear an offspring and give her those flimsy "affections". With an angelic face and whole-heartedness of a woman she is, someone would be more than eager to provide her with those needs and desires.

 _But that someone could never be him._ He could not provide this for her. He was not suited and should not dwell on this type of living.

That man could not be him. He was not even a man per se, for a man would not fail to protect his offspring.

Only a monster would be that.

* * *

Botan searched around, but to no avail. She sighed, he was nowhere to be found. She wished that he would at least show the slightest hint that this mattered to him. She wanted to talk to him.

She stood up, deciding that she had poured her sentiments to her child and staying here any further would emotionally drain her. It was getting cold, anyway. She began to walk away. She would return the following year, same day and same timing.

She turned around one last time, ensuring that there was no one else there.

She loved _their_ child.

Perhaps, unbelievingly, she loved her son's father too.

* * *

 ** _Author's notes:_**

 ** _1\. I have been reading wonderful fics of them having kids, but I do wonder what happens if the circumstances were as drastic as this._**

 ** _2\. While having a daughter is kinda cute, but I had always thought it made sense if Hiei would have a male offspring because of their belief back in his homeland. I also theorised that maybe Hiei makes hiruseki stones when he cries, but they are of different colour. I actually like the thought of his Jagan eye crying too, but maybe in blood (I saw a fanart once of him crying with the Jagan eye - I forgot where I saw it but yeah)._**

 ** _3\. Depending on whether I have the time and inspiration during the summer break, I may or may not extend this one-shot into a story. I do have something in mind for the "before" and "after" events of this one chapter, but I am like so caught up in the semester so I can't promise anything now. It is rated T for now, but if I ever update it again, it will be rated M onwards._**

 ** _4\. Hiei and Botan pairing is really non-canon, but it would have been amazing if it was canon. There are lots of amazing fics about them._**

 **This is all for HieixBotan week for my own part. Hope you liked it, do read and review!**


	2. Garter

Yu Yu Hakusho Fanfiction

Of Marigolds and Dragonflies

Chapter 1: Garter

* * *

A/N: I'm back! Time to continue my very first HB fanfic!

 ** _1) I decided to continue this fiction. Every chapter has two parts: BEFORE the death of Hiei and Botan's child (BEFORE events in the prologue) and AFTER the death of the child (AFTER events in the prologue). The prologue took place in Winter 2011, thus just look at the dates when the parts starts._**

 ** _2) Warning: Slow Updates. This fiction will have that before-after writing style. I am currently writing the "before" events, before writing out the "after events" in every chapter. Plus I have school for most days, so the updates will be very slow._**

* * *

(Winter 2011)

Hiei visited his unborn child's grave the next day, given that the visit the day before was abrupt because of Botan's appearance. What did he expect? It had been a year since the unfortunate incident, and for sure his child's mother would visit the grave.

He stared at the grave:

 _Briefly in our company, forever in our souls. Sleep well, my little sunshine._

 _December 2010_

Curses, his child was not only _unborn_ but also _unnamed_. He touched the monument. His eyes stung, and his heart was contracting again.

He loathed _this emotion_.

This emotion was present whenever he thought of his child or Botan. He resented it. It made him feel soft and helpless, weak even. He wished it would stop. He attempted to avoid this, but it monopolised his thoughts. Flashes of memories haunted him. The memories were relentless; they were unforgiving.

Wait. Hold on.

He frowned. That was new. There was blood around the grave, quite a significant amount of it. What happened?

Who dared to disrespect his child's resting place?

He clenched his fist in wrath. Crap, he was losing it. This issue was becoming poisonous to his brain. He might be overthinking about the blood. The blood reminded him so much of that day.

 _"Hiei, you have to choose. We can't save both."_

Fuck. He needed to get out of here before he had become entirely deranged. He leapt through the woods, parting from his son's tombstone.

Why, oh why, did it became like this?

He scolded himself. _His son was not even supposed to exist._ It was normally impossible for a spirit to conceive, but his and Botan's case was considered an anomaly. This whole tragedy was the product of an affair with no commitments, spurred on by lust and obsession, that had all began one evening...

* * *

(Summer 1997)

Years after Urameshi Yusuke was appointed the spirit detective, Yusuke and Keiko decided to have a wedding.

Botan donned in her best light pink dress. Keiko had chosen her and the other girls as bridesmaids for the wedding. Of course, the rest could not be more than thrilled to have this honour. Even more so when Keiko had chosen the ferry girl to be the maid-of-honour.

"Oh my, Keiko, you look beautiful," Botan squealed in delight, looking at the brown-haired girl in a white wedding dress.

"You could say the same for yourself too," Keiko replied, getting herself ready.

"Keiko? Uhm..."

"Botan, what is it?"

The blue-haired girl stuttered. "I just wanted to know why you chose me. I heard this maid-of-honour thing has duties of helping the bride to plan for the wedding? But I have not done anything because I was caught up in ferrying souls and I don't know anything about weddings. I thought that one of your human friends would have been a better option."

The bride chuckled. "Oh, Botan! We're friends. Plus if it weren't for you, I would have been done for when those people turned zombie-like because of insects from the demon world! And you assisted Yusuke in his cases. You have been a ferry girl and a friend to us as long as we can remember, I thought you'd want this opportunity."

Botan felt touched. The grim reaper did enjoy taking a break from her duties and indulge in human activities once in a while. She knew that the chances of her getting married were slim, given that she had the heavy responsibilities of a ferry girl. So participating as a maid-of-honour at Keiko's wedding should be the closest experience to it.

Although she initially had a childish crush on Yusuke, it was nothing more than adoration. The moment she had learnt how much Keiko went through the lengths to preserve his body when his house got burnt, she realised how much Keiko had indeed love Yusuke. It was different from the infatuation she had for him. The more she felt that Keiko and Yusuke suited one another, the more her infatuation with Yusuke diminished. Right now, she was more than happy for them.

This wedding was a symbol of a union - the evidence that true love exists, albeit Botan was confident that she would not have the privilege to have such a bond.

* * *

Hiei scowled at his outfit. He looked like a black-and-white demon harpy with this blasted clothing they call a "tuxedo". Humans and their ridiculous customs! Why bother spending a large sum of measely human cash, just to celebrate the union of a male and a female in such an excessive fashion?

The tuxedo was restricting his movements, and they were uncomfortable. He fumbled with the bowtie, unsure how to tie them. What's more, Yusuke did not approve of them bringing weapons, which includes his familiar katana. He felt naked as if his identity had been stripped from him in the absence of the weapon.

"Let me help you with that, Hiei," Kurama chuckled, a mischievous glint that showed that the fox demon had enjoyed watching Hiei struggle with human customs.

"Hn-"

He grunted. One day he would beat the daylights out of Yusuke for forcing him to do this. He just wanted to see Yukina again. In addition, the ex-detective invited Yomi, Mukuro and practically almost every demon Yusuke had met. By default, if Mukuro was there, being her second-in-command, he had to be present as well. Mukuro and the other demons were amused and curious at the concept of human marriages. He wasn't. Why have this laborious ceremony when humans could like, you know, just have the mating ritual?

"There all done!" Kurama said.

"Yo, Hiei! You came!" Yusuke bellowed, wrapping an arm around Hiei's head, "You didn't attend the bachelor's party. I was beginning to think if I need to find a proxy for one of my groomsmen!"

"Corgi legs is here!?" another all-too-familiar voice shrieked, "and you grew a bit taller too! Still the shortest among the rest of us, including the girls." The short demon glared at the two of them, only half comprehending them due to the unfamiliar terms they used.

"And you seem more knowledgeable since you had accomplished a complete useless certificate, but you're still the most idiotic among us," he retorted. Yusuke sniggered at Hiei's comeback. Even Kurama contained his chuckle.

"Oh come on now gentlemen. Don't shit on each other on my special day; you can do that on another day-"

He could only grumble. This would be a long, long, day.

* * *

"Sir, take the table number 1 please," the hotel receptionist stated politely.

"Hn-" was all he could articulate as he grumpily sauntered his way in. What on the devil was this? After sitting through a wedding ceremony, listening to the exasperating priest preach about the unification of a couple, now they are having some fancy dinner? No wonder it was so costly! Humans are genuinely idiots for indulging in this.

The loud-mouthed carrot head happened to be sharing the same spot, as well as his sister and that toddler of a prince. The only good outcome was that Yukina was on the same table as him. Mukuro, Yomi, Enki and the other powerful demons were on the other table, probably discussing the politics regarding the demon realm that he couldn't care less about.

The kitsune was on a nearby table, along with his human family and mate, Rabenda. Rabenda was another demon, an Earth dryad, who looked for Kurama after he infiltrated and fused with Minamino Shuichi. With a minute amount of demon energy, she, as well as the rest of the other demons, can disguise into humans. Or simply cover up their inhuman parts, just like he does with covering the Jagan eye with his white bandana.

He scoffed at the sight of the infamous Yoko Kurama being courteous with his mate. It was similar to the way the stupid ogre fawned over his twin sister, but Kurama did it more subtly. His sister had started a relationship with the buffoon, much to his disdain. To complete the puzzle, Yusuke seemed to be at his human lover's beck and call.

Heck, even Mukuro herself had settled down with a mate. What was wrong with everyone? Were they all shot by the arrows of that pesky infantile lust demon the humans affectionately call "cupid"?

 _Fools!_

He stopped in his tracks, upon the sight of a blue-haired woman that was occupying the table he was allocated to. The woman wore a light pink bridesmaid dress, and her hair was tied neatly into a bun with floral accessories pinned up with it. Most glaring of all, was that the top half of her back was bare, seducing any men to touch it.

His face contorted, slapping himself mentally for being tempted. The hell was he thinking? Who was this woman who dared seduce him with that scantily-dressed appearance?

 _Tsk, women._

He had seen and met enough female demons to know their temptress nature. There were those demonesses he respects, like Mukuro, Yukina and Natsume, to be fair. But he had also known those who had no ounce of shame at all, succubuses and nymphs who indulged in luring and tricking men, sucking out their energies through sexual intercourse. Not to mention were those prude, spineless and indoctrinated ice maidens, who seemed to treat men as a vile race. Two opposite spectrums of demonesses, two kinds of them that he absolutely resents.

"H-hiei!" the woman turned and stuttered, "it's good to see you. Take a seat."

He uttered a grumble in response and sat down next to her. His brows furrowed.

 _Who was this woman again?_

He had seen her sticking around with Yusuke and Koenma, flying around with her oar and being talkative. He remembered her as one of those indoctrinated by the spirit world, with a pretty face. Much to his disdain, even he had to admit that she was physically attractive. It was her attitude that irritated him to no end.

She stuck to Yusuke like a glue for the most of the missions when she was not needed and fiercely insisted on cheering loudly during the Dark Tournament. She served more as a distraction than actually assisting them, but the girl stubbornly made her presence known. It did not take the Jagan eye for Hiei to know that the ferry girl was initially infatuated with Yusuke, but it was more of admiration than actual love. The ferry girl went her way to bring the now-married couple together with her spying antics, like a young child who played the matchmaker. Seeing her smile genuinely, Hiei guessed that she had gotten over her penchant for the former spirit detective.

"Hiei, is everything okay? You've been staring into space," she asked again, light purple eyes showing genuine concern.

Wait, concern? How laughable. And to think their conversations consisted of nothing but death threats. Oh yes, now he remembered - those death threats he posed to her if she ever blabs on his secret to Yukina. She has been doing an excellent job at that, given that Yukina had yet to know anything. Yet somehow, Hiei finds himself doubtful - there was a very high chance Yukina had already known by herself that he was her brother. She called him "onii-chan" that day she had given him her pendant, though she claimed that it was accidental, he doubted it. But no, no matter how sure Yukina was, he would not tell her.

"Hiei?"

He glared at her, in which she squealed in response. If she would just stop coddling him and turn her back on him again, his mood might just lighten up. He did not need to hear her voice or have her pester him. The best she could do is show her back for him to get distracted as this blasted wedding dinner goes on.

"Botan, don't mind him. He's just the same old, moody midget. This is his default mood," Kuwabara ranted. The fire demon wanted to retort, but his very own sister beat him to it.

"Kazuma, that is not a nice thing to say about Hiei-san. I'm sure he just has something on his mind," Yukina warned, placing her hand over Kuwabara's. The warning seemed gentle, but there was a silent menace laced in it. Yukina was still a demon after all - everyone seemed to have forgotten that due to her sweet disposition.

Kuwabara sensed the anger behind her gentle coaxing and muttered an embarrassed apology.

 _Served the idiot right. Good going Yukina._

"That's right! You can't just say anything like that to Yukina about Hiei! Hiei's-"

At this, Hiei slammed the bread knife against the table, loud enough for Botan to halt in her accidental almost-revelation. The fire demon frowned at her, challenging her to finish her sentence.

To Botan, her heart ached. _So Hiei hasn't told Yukina... After all these years._ Her initial shocked eyes softened into a gaze. "What I mean to say is..."

 _Go on; I dare you to defy me._

"Hiei is..."

 _Oh, woman, I will enjoy torturing you._

"Hiei is just rough around the edges. Yes, he may have done lots of unspeakable things and is guarded, but that doesn't mean that he hasn't redeemed himself," Botan finished. It left him hanging, surprised even.

She was indeed strange.

She made it a habit to be kind to everyone, even those who might not deserve kindness. She was willing to break her back to make someone smile, albeit she was feeling down. Even to the point of irritating someone when she pestered them too much out of her concern, no matter how much they have offended her. That attitude was something Hiei could not comprehend. After all, why bother?

"Alright, everybody! Gather up, ladies! It's time for the bouquet throwing! Can we have the bridesmaids and eligible bachelorettes to come to the front please?" the wedding event host said. As if on queue, all the young female humans did as they were instructed to. Non-human bridesmaids like Botan and Yukina were puzzled. Mukuro, Koko and Natsume remained impassive and rooted to their seats, the corner of their lips tugged upwards, trying to hide their amusement to the scene.

"Come on Botan; you can't sit here especially when you're the maid-of-honour," Shizuru dragged Botan by the wrist before the girl could protest. Rabenda also had joined the crowd.

Kurama appeared beside Hiei, watching his mate participate in this activity. Hiei looked at Kurama, demanding answers. "This is part of the wedding dinner, or they are done right after the church ceremony," the redhead stated, still amused at Hiei's ignorance, "it is where the bride throws the bouquet she has been holding. Whichever girl that catches it is believed to be the next one who marries."

The black-haired demon scoffed. What a foul superstition.

"Yukina!" Kuwabara cheered, "go my love! Catch those flowers!"

Hiei's head almost snapped at the direction of where the females are collected. He might just kill that orange-headed ape one day. The idea of him marrying his sister made his eye twitch. He had to make sure that Yukina does not catch those pungent flowers. He let out a low growl, in which Kurama shook his head.

"Hiei, contain yourself. It is just a harmless custom," Kurama warned. Oh, how the very fact that he also had dismissed them as a mere superstition bit him back in the ass. Superstition or not, Yukina was not getting those flowers.

Over his dead body.

He scanned the crowd. He had to manipulate anyone, just anyone who knows his Jagan powers. Yukina? No, that would be low of him. Shizuru would be a tough nut to crack, and Kurama might kill him if he ever tried to infiltrate Rabenda's mind. He could not pick those that knew nothing of the existence of demons - it would complicate things.

He then spotted a shock of blue hair among the ladies. He smirked.

Perfect.

 _Woman._

Botan jolted at the sound of Hiei's voice in her head. She stared at him across the room.

 _Ferry girl, just communicate with me through your thoughts. Don't look at me. You'll make it obvious._

The grim reaper calmed down, focusing on Keiko with the bouquet of flowers instead.

 _Listen. I command you to catch those flowers. Don't let Yukina get them._

 _Oh, Hiei! I can't do that! I would want to play fair and square._

 _Idiot. You're not cheating. I just demand that you ensure that you win. I will grant any wish you want, provided that it is reasonable._

 _Really?_ _Okay, if I win, will you stop using your Jagan eye on me? Promise me that, okay?_

 _Yes, just win. Or else..._

Hiei was unable to continue. He immediately disabled his Jagan powers when Keiko threw the bouquet.

Red eyes squinted. That woman better get those flowers.

Botan was beyond confused. Why would Hiei want to cheer for her to win so badly? True that she was up for a competitive game of catch and intended to win. But the proud Hiei rarely asked anyone for help, even more puzzling that he needed her assistance. Letting him down would surely crumble her spirits.

Before she knew it, the bunch of flowers were in possession. Yes! She did it. She grinned at the short male. He looked bored and unimpressed, much to her dismay.

"Nice! Now, boys, we can get to see Botan's legs!" Yusuke howled. Both Botan and Hiei scrunched their noses. What could Yusuke mean?

Keiko smacked him.

"Geez, Keiko ouch. It's just a joke-"

"So Hiei, I won, just like what you told me," she said with a wink, hovering the marigold flowers to Hiei's face. He batted the offensive item until its petals fell off.

"Hn-"

"Botan, you!" Kuwabara hollered, "you were so competitive that you didn't let Yukina have a chance to win!"

Realisation sank.

She squinted her purple eyes at the fire demon, who was inwardly smirking. "You..." she started, "you cunning jerk! You used me."

"Calm down woman. You wanted to win in this miserable human game, didn't you? I simply supported you. That is all," he replied.

* * *

"Folks, do you want the groom to take out the garter using his hands or mouth?"

"Mouth!" the crowd boomed.

Keiko was seated on a chair, one of her legs was showing, revealing a lavender garter enclosed around her thigh. Yusuke smirked, mischief in his eyes. His bride turned beet red as he approached her.

Botan gasped, seeing Yusuke removed the garter using his mouth. It was... Unusual.

"Urameshi, you dog!" Jin called out. It was followed by Chuu's suggestive whistle.

"Now boys! Who would like to catch this!" Yusuke screamed.

The males, which consisted of mostly of Yusuke's demon friends, turned to one another looking confused. The ex-detective face-palmed sighing, "all you guys gotta do is catch this when I throw. Whoever catches it will be believed to be the next one who ties the knot. The best part is... They would get a super nice treat later on."

Yusuke wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Every male knew that he was probably referring to something raunchy.

"Alright, I'm up for it," Chuu slurred, apparently intoxicated. The rest of the males followed, up to try this interesting human custom.

"Oh dear... I might as well go," Koenma said, standing up.

Hiei folded his arms in refusal. Fools, getting swayed by this trivial game. At least the kitsune wasn't tricked into such gimmicks.

"I'm surprised that a human-loving demon like you won't participate," Hiei commented.

Kurama shook his head. "I had already caught that once when my mother and step-father got married," he answered vaguely. Hiei eyed him suspiciously. There was more about it than the kitsune had let on.

"Yukina, my precious! I will make sure I'll get it for you so that we can be the next wedded couple!" Kuwabara professed, springing onto the crowd.

 _Oh no, you don't._

"Boys, here I go!" Yusuke bellowed, throwing the garter like some boomerang.

Chuu immediately dropped due to his drunk state. Shizuka and the other demons watched the item fly in awe, unable to spring into action. Kuwabara was not them; he had seen enough weddings to how these worked. He moved without hesitance, lunging forward. At this, Hiei's stomach dropped.

"Kurama-"

"No Hiei. If Kuwabara deserved to win, then let it be. If you don't want him to win, either hope someone would catch it or go get it yourself," the redhead said.

Being one of the fastest, it was like slow motion for him. He watched a bit more, waiting for someone else to beat the buffoon, but no luck.

 _If Kurama or the rest don't wish to assist me? Fine!_

As quick as lightning, Hiei bolted to the scene, jumping up from the table and grabbing that annoying piece of ruffled cloth.

The rest were stunned, seeing how hell-bent the short demon on possessing the item.

"You little shit!" Kuwabara yelled at him, irritated. Hiei scoffed triumphantly.

That will teach him a lesson.

Yusuke was the first one who broke from his trance and burst out laughing.

"You do know what is gonna happen next, right?" the groom grinned at him. Hiei frowned. He didn't know there was a continuation of this custom.

* * *

A/N: And cut! What will happen next?

 ** _1) I'm not really certain what Western weddings are like. But I heard of this custom and I decided to utilise it for this fanfic. Hopefully, there are no inaccuracies._**

 ** _2) I theorised that Yu Yu Hakusho Suisen arc happened in the 80s. This is because the Chapter Black was in a cassette tape. The popularity of cassette tapes decreased during the late 80s. Therefore, I am thinking that Keiko and Yusuke's wedding will happen ten years later, in the late 90s._**

 ** _3) I wanted to pair up Kurama with Maya or Shizuru, but because of the nature of this fanfic, I needed to pair him up with an OC who is a demoness. I've always thought that perhaps a demoness had liked Kurama before his near-death and searched for him when he entered the human world. I will try to find some time to have a separate fanfic of a story of Kurama and Rabenda._**

 ** _4) Rabenda means "Lavender". I thought that an Earth demoness paired with Kurama will be the best._**

 ** _5) The writing style that features past-and-present scenes in every chapter might be unusual. I read Stephen King's "It" and wanted to try it out. I figured that using this writing style will help to juxtapose the events that had happened before and after the death of Hiei and Botan's child._**


	3. Garter II

Of Marigold and Dragonflies

Chapter 2

"Garter II"

* * *

A/N: I figured I needed to update again because the previous chapter was such a cliffhanger and was not as interesting. Still will be having irregular updates though.

 ** _I'd like to thank one of the reviewers who pointed out that what Amanuma had for his game looks like the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). I didn't consider that and I googled it. The retail availability was from 1983 to 2003. So yeah, I'm sticking to the idea that the Sensui arc happened in the 80s._**

 ** _I am born in the late 90s, long before Yu Yu Hakusho first aired. So I am unsure what the 80s or early 90s culture was like. If there are any discrepancies, do let me know._**

* * *

(Summer 1997)

"Oi, Botan! Come up here and sit on this chair!" Yusuke called out. The grim reaper looked equally clueless. She looked at Kurama and Shizuru for reassurance. They gave a slight nod of encouragement and she did as she was told, but Hiei did not miss the devious glint in their eyes.

Something was up. And he would not like it.

"Now, my dear good good friend, Hiei. All you have to do is simple. The winner of the garter will have to slide that up against the winner of the bouquet's thigh. It's the custom," Yusuke could hardly contain his laughter when he announced this new information. Botan panicked.

"What?" Hiei gritted his teeth. He snapped his head at Kurama's direction. The fox demon validated Yusuke's claim.

Damn that kitsune. He knew about this and didn't tell him. It made sense now, why Kurama didn't participate. It was either to save himself from doing that embarrassing act with Botan when his mate was present or saving himself from the humiliation altogether.

Oh, how he wanted to incinerate that piece of disgusting cloth in his hands.

"No," he said with spite, throwing the flimsy paraphernalia on the floor.

Botan nodded in agreement. She would die of mortification if she and Hiei would do this!

"You must be insane, refusing to slide up that erotic thing on an attractive lady's thigh. If I were you, I'd do it in a heartbeat," Jin sighed.

"Perhaps his tastes run the other direction," Shizuka pondered.

Kuwabara laughed. He had been annoyed when Hiei destroyed his chances, that he did not give a thought about the aftermath of it. This was a better outcome than what he had expected, "hah! Karma for you, porcupine head! This is what you get for shitting on my chances. So what now? Scared that you'll wet yourself because you can't handle touching a woman?"

"Now, now, Kuwabara. Perhaps Hiei is just unsure how to be delicate to a girl, he may be lacking experience in that aspect," Kurama chided an invisible layer of insult in his sentence.

He scowled at them. They mocked him, labelling him a coward, an infantile, and a bloke with no luck with women. The vain joker even had the audacity to put his sexuality into question! He wanted to prove them all wrong, but he knew they were riling him up to do the deed.

"So Hiei," Mukuro spoke up, with an eyebrow arched up, "what will your decision be?"

Damn them. Even his superior had joined in indulging in witnessing his misery. He then eyed on the blue-haired female, who was clearly in distress.

He remembered the tease of her fair back, the slight arousal invoked within him. The thought disgusted him because it had been a while since a woman had stirred up his primal instincts.

Yet...

"Fine. I'll do it-"

"Atta boy!" Yusuke cheered.

They wanted him to do the task? Then so be it. Being the one to place the garter up the stunning woman held dominance over all of them, and he was more than willing to assert victory.

The girl squirmed when he approached her.

"Stay still. I won't bite," he warned and she nodded. Reluctantly, she gripped her dress, revealing one of her legs. He had to contain a primal noise when he noticed her slender leg. He kneeled on one knee to slot the circular cloth into her foot, sliding it up her shin. She jumped a little at the unfamiliarity of the contact.

Then, to everyone's surprise, he replaced his hands and held the garter in his teeth. It wasn't necessary, using his hands would have sufficed.

Botan felt her stomach fall. She met his gaze, crimson orbs that held dominance and intensity. It demanded her to remain collected and she bit her lip in order to remain silent. It was a new sensation altogether. She gulped, scenes of Hiei being between her thighs flashed across her head.

 _No! I can't think of him that way. That's dirty, Botan! And he could read minds!_

Her cheeks turned pink. Yet, she found herself in a trance, clearly hypnotised by his red eyes. As if automatically, she lifted her leg, resting it on his shoulder as he made his way up her thigh.

She saw him smirk that sent a ripple of fear and arousal at the same time.

As much as he resented it, Hiei ensured that he took his own sweet time. He sensed a weight on his shoulder - hn, the ferry girl was more than eager to do this. Then he smelled it, that faint scent of arousal. He smirked. He was confident that the woman really liked it.

He had to halt as the garter rested on her thigh. He was so close to where that source of scent was coming from, so achingly close.

Botan's bliss came to an abrupt stop.

 _Wha-? Botan, stop! Snap out of it._

He stood up, giving everyone a hard stare. "I will kill all of you," he threatened.

The rest of the demons laughed, telling him to attempt if time permits. Meanwhile, Keiko's human friends commented on how unusual Yusuke's friends are.

He rolled his eyes at their responses. The crowd soon calmed down and resumed with their dinner. Hiei took this opportunity to slip away from the room.

"Teehee, good thinking Urameshi," Botan saw Kuwabara patting on Yusuke's shoulder, "it wasn't a compulsory tradition for the garter winner to do that to the girl. But man, that look on Hiei's face was just too satisfying!"

That drove her mad. If she could, she would have whacked him with her oar.

"Yusuke you jerk! I was so embarrassed!" she shrieked.

"You're one to talk. If I didn't know any better, you loved it when Hiei was in between your legs!" the groom rebutted.

"But I... I..."

Her face heated up once more, remembering how erotic it felt.

"I can't disagree with him, Botan. You had your leg on his shoulder," Shizuru stated, a sly smile on her.

The already-reddened girl had difficulties uttering words. It wasn't a secret that the grim reaper was a bad liar.

"Whoah shit! Botan has the hots for the grumpy midget!" Kuwabara piped up.

Even Kurama stifled a smile.

She huffed, "ooooh! You guys are such perverts! Go and wash your heads with some detergent!"

With her head held high, she exited the dining area to get some fresh air.

* * *

The red-eyed demon was more than annoyed. All those pests. He could just leave. Yes, he could do that, but there was something else that was nagging him to stay.

Was it watching over Yukina? Or the fact that Mukuro stayed longer than expected? Perhaps the wedding reception was taking too long. Or maybe because of that ferry gir-

 _No_.

He had to cease right there. There was no way in hell that the bubbly woman had an effect on him.

"Hmph! Ooooh sometimes they are so naughty!"

Oh, speak of the devil.

Just when he was dispelling all those thoughts about that woman, she came marching in with that feminine voice of hers that irritated his ears.

"What are you babbling about?" he said annoyingly, calling out from the tree he was resting on.

"Oh Hiei!" she jumped, "you scared me."

Oh? So it was back to her being afraid of him.

"They were teasing us about- oh nevermind..."

"Tell me-"

Not that he did not know what she was supposed to say, but he wanted to hear it from her.

"No-no, that's okay..." she dismissed with a nervous laugh.

He jumped from the tree he was resting on.

"Speak or else-" he threatened, advancing towards her.

She retreated. "They were teasing us about... About..."

He raised his eyebrows, waiting.

"howIenjoyedhavingyoubetweenmythighs!-"

She immediately covered her mouth.

"Did you?" he asked, deadly red eyes still focused on her.

Botan became stiff, blushing. This did not go unnoticed. The demon almost could not contain the purr of pleasure in his throat.

 _So she really was aroused._

That very fact stroked his ego. He smirked, "so you'd like it if I did it again, now, wouldn't you?"

"Wha-No? Wait, Hiei, what are you doing? Ah-!"

She could barely protest when he suddenly lifted her up bridal style, hopping onto a tree. He gently laid her on her back and his smaller form hovered over her.

"I won't coerce you into anything you dislike-" he clarified. She stopped struggling and gazed at his eyes. They were no longer angry or annoyed. The implication of his words was simple - he was asking for consent. But would that mean that he cared?

Then she noticed his eyelashes - they were long and dark. Why didn't she see it before? It complemented his crimson eyes well. Those red orbs were half-lidded, clouded with lust: captivating, so attractive, _so sexy._ Already, Botan was trapped in his charm.

The ferry girl had lost the will to fight off the odd magnetism for him.

Still shy, she looked away before speaking, "the garter is still on me, Hiei." She lifted her dress up by the hem to her upper thigh, showing the item that still hugged her. It was an invitation - without any more words, he lowered his head to her abdomen. She gingerly placed both her legs on his shoulders.

"Hn, earnest, are we?" he teased. Feeling confident, he nippled lightly on her thigh, his canine making contact with her skin.

"Hiei!" she responded with a cry - oddly, the pain brought a surge of desire in her lower stomach.

The utterance of his name constricted his pants. Something about the woman voicing out his name awakened an intense primal instinct within me. He could smell her arousal again - that feminine and musky scent - something so delectable. Slowly, he tugged the garter, removing it off of her legs. He stared at her, like a hawk eyeing a helpless mouse. She had her eyes shut, reduced to whimpers.

And he had not touched her yet.

He pocketed the garter, before grabbing her hips. He lifted her dress further to reveal her underwear. It was the colour of her hair.

How amusing. Should he cease this malfeasance? This was rash and reckless - it wasn't like him to do gawk and admire a woman's skin like she was a beautiful deity. But she was beautiful and he was reckless... _oh, to hell with it!_

His fingertips danced around the linings, testing if she would stop him. She didn't. He looked up at her, to find her blushing and refusing to meet his eyes.

"Wait..." she let out a breathy muttered. He stopped.

"What?" he snapped.

"It's just...well...you know..." she dwelled.

"Speak up-"

She squeaked like a frightened mouse. Hiei was always abrasively direct, but Botan was not used to them. Yet, she concluded that she was being silly. This was Hiei.

"I'm so confused. I don't know if I am doing things right. It's not that I don't like what we are doing or I had never heard of this, but I have not done it before - in my entire spirit life, I mean. I can't remember anything from my past human life..." she confessed, almost a saddened sob.

"And it feels wrong, what we are doing. But at the same time feels so right. There's this rush I keep feeling, like how you're supposed to go on a roller coaster or a swing. Oh wait, I supposed you don't know what a roller coaster is, now-"

Now, he was annoyed. She was back to her ramblings and reminded him that she still had that loud mouth. He was beginning to have second thoughts about this.

"Woman-"

"Oh dear..." she had her hands on her mouth, "I ruined the moment now. I'm so sorry, Hi-"

He interrupted her speech with a kiss. She whimpered helplessly. He pulled away to let her breathe, meeting a pair of irritated purple eyes.

"Hiei, that's no way to interrupt me! Well, not that I didn't like kissing you, but-"

He kissed her again. The idiot woman. Didn't she get the message? He rolled his eyes. Obviously, if she kept talking like that, she would really ruin what heated passion between them.

"Woman, shut up. Now, just answer me swiftly: do you enjoy and desire this, or not?" he spat.

Did she really want this? It has been decades since she was reborn as a ferry girl and had never given in to lust. She had heard they were an enjoyable activity to humans and demons, but they can be lethal as well. It can be magical and wonderful - for lovers. At the same time, they can be a toxic addiction and often misused. Was she ready to be pleased with a man like Hiei? He was a complete opposite of her. He was temperamental, unpredictable, intensely reckless and most of all - passionately ferocious. Yet, that same thought of potential danger thrilled her.

She gave a meek nod.

He gave an arrogant smirk. He didn't need his Jagan power to know that the female was inexperienced and naive. The thought of corrupting an innocent creature was surely appealing, to lay his sinful hands on a pure and unexplored flesh from the spirit world he disliked so much. It was disgusting and unbecoming of him - his insides screamed. But he ignored his rationalisations for this once.

He would be a fool not to take up this delicious offer.

"You're clearly not prepared for such an act and still puzzled. The last thing I want to do is to copulate with a virgin and have her whining about the guilt and pain-"

She did not know if she felt disappointed or relieved. This was all new and muddling for her. He was right, she did desire to feel something, yet the thought of losing her virginity frightened her.

His smirk grew even wider. If he couldn't have her because she was unprepared and uncertain about giving her whole self, then perhaps he should just give her a starting act of pleasure. Not too much as to scare her away, but enough to leave her desiring for more.

"Hn, but I am feeling generous today. Fine. Grant me the permission to touch you and I'll leave you with something that you'd ponder about. And perhaps plead for more..." he stated like he knew of the future.

A frown creased upon her. If he will not make her his, then what will he do to her?

Oh, but she was curious. So painfully curious and mystified by the fire demon before her. He often scoffs and calls out derogatory remarks towards her, but this time, it was different. He made her feel desired. It was rare for the fire demon to even regard someone's existence. Yet, here he is now, promising a moment of pleasure.

She merely nodded, cautious not to blabber and have him running off because she annoyed him. He then resumed to his ministrations on her underwear, muttering incoherently about curiosity and naivety.

He pulled the clothing that was a barrier from the precious flesh he was looking for. The cloth was a little damp - the ferry girl was indeed aroused. That very fact swelled his ego.

"Who made you drenched?" he stated arrogantly, that smirk never leaving his face.

It was mocking and given another situation, she would have been angry. But that line of thought wasn't present as he inserted a finger into her, making her weak.

He toyed with the bundle of nerves, earning a gasp from her. He gritted his teeth, commanding, "woman, speak. Who is making you this aroused?"

"It's you, Hiei," she answered breathlessly.

"Damn right you are, ferry girl-"

She blushed. It was strange - normally his arrogance would infuriate her, but somehow, it was making her body ache for his touch even more. She wanted him to continue whispering to her in that manner: to pass off comments of his control over her and being prideful about it.

It was odd and perplexing for her. She should be ashamed of being so obedient under his control, but at this moment, she was at the mercy of his touch. Just then, he did halt. She glared at him. That little demon! How dare he leave her hanging like that!

"Compose yourself. I'm not finished with you. Remember this, ferry girl. When you are done playing the good girl facade, when you pleasure yourself and yearn for the sin of the flesh, engrave this in your desires," he said, before dipping his head in the valley of her thighs.

"Wait. Wha- ohh, Hiei!" she let out a cry as she felt his damp muscle lick her flesh.

He continued - sucking, licking and lapping her pink goodness. She was delectable, he thought. Indeed, the best flowers were the freshly bloomed ones.

To Botan, she was at loss for words. Her head was swirling. She heard someone mewling and whimpering - was that her own voice? All she could concentrate on was the swirl bliss and that pressure on her lower region.

The knot on her abdomen was about to snap.

"Hiei... I think I'm gonna-"

He grunted and continued. He was determined he will make that woman scream.

Then, it happened. The pressure broke out like a dam, gushing out minute fluids. Her back arched. Her fingernails raked his scalp.

"Hiei!" she let out an ear-splitting scream. Hiei would normally be irritated by Botan's high-pitched voice, but this was different. He enjoyed this other form of torture. He had never thought his name sounded that great, only she could make it sound as such.

Despite this, he still did not stop. He lapped up the sweet liquid nectar of the peony, waiting for her to recover from her climax.

Botan panted, her heart beating irregularly, "oh heavens...Hiei...that was..oh, kami...I never felt so..."

Botan never knew the grumpy demon would give her such a breath-taking reward. He lifted himself up. He stuck out his tongue and licked his finger while staring into her. He ensured that she was there to watch him taste her remains.

"Is this... the reward for catching those marigold flowers?" Botan asked breathlessly.

"No," he tersely replied, "you said that I won't utilise the Jagan eye on you any longer. You have my word on that matter. This, however, is a gift. Whether or not this is repeated, will be up to your judgment."

"Oi, Botan!" Koenma called out from a distance. Hiei cursed. Soon, two figures appeared. They did not notice Hiei and Botan up in the tree, however.

"Botan! Where are you? I know that you are mad at us, but you've been gone for so long. Look, we're just joking! I know it's impossible for you to lust for that stuck-up short bastard!" Kuwabara's yelling was distant.

"Hn, idiot-"

Hiei snorted at the human fool. Hiei just made the ferry girl quiver and moan like a lewd bitch. How wrong was that fool's assumption. He looked back to see that the ferry girl was placing her underwear on herself.

He hopped off the tree. Something consumed him tonight. Whether it was good or bad, it left him perplexed and slightly pissed at himself. Yet, he knew that this will not be their last encounter.

He will not see her in a long time, but when that time comes, he will hunt her down.

* * *

(Winter 2011)

Hiei held up the garter in his chamber. That night was the start of everything. His own darn fault for being in the affair with that blue-haired spirit. It was also the witch's fault for seducing him and being swayed into this. It takes two hands to clap.

If he had not been so addicted to fucking her, then that little hybrid would not have existed. He hated feeling powerless and pitiful for that matter.

He clutched the garter tightly. The item was infuriating and he had contemplated many times that he would obliterate it into flames. Yet, it never did happen.

Much to his denial, it was a token of remembrance. One that he would painfully remember.

* * *

A/N: Yup, that's pretty much the start.

 ** _1) Being new to the HB fandom, I realised two ways of how Hiei and Botan develop their relationship in fanfics: (a) getting stuck in a situation where they are forced to work together; (b) having a sexual relationship initially then falling in love. I decided to go with the latter because of the direction of the plot of in this fanfic._**

 ** _2) Even though I'm going with that route, I'm thinking to take the whole sexual relationship of theirs at a moderate pace. And I will try to write the sexual scenes to be abstract as time goes by, instead of being graphically descriptive._**

 ** _3) This won't be just an erotic-romance story. Other elements will come into play in the later chapters._**

 ** _4) I wrote how the characters speak based on how I would imagine them to talk in the Japanese version. I'm aware that most people have watched the English dub, but I did not. More or less the characters have similar speech styles, but just informing this bit in case._**


	4. Visit

Of Marigolds and Dragonflies

Chapter 4

"Visit"

A/N: Hey I'm back! Thanks everyone for being very supportive of this fanfic! I had always been grateful for the YYH-HB fandom for being one of the sweetest fandoms out there.

* * *

(Winter 2011)

Hiei was still contemplating, holding up the garter.

Drip.

Drop.

Blood began to stain the laced material. Hiei looked up. Who dared to make a mess of his possessions?

Then there, he saw in the ceiling of his chamber, was a bloodied tiny creature hanging. He had never seen that kind of demon before.

How did it get there?

"What the-"

The creature screamed like a banshee, then dropped and lurched towards him. He fends it off with his arm, but it opened his mouth and it bit onto him. It sucked his blood and energy like a leech. He sneered. This little shit. He flung it and it bounced off the ground.

It wiggled, preparing to lunch itself at him. He placed his hand on his sword. He was ready to kill this little pest once and for all.

Predictably, it attempted to attack him, screaming like a baby. With one slash of his sword, it dropped into two halves, dead and motionless. He squinted his eyes, trying to figure out what the creature was exactly - it was disgustingly bloody, reeked of corpse smell and goo coming out of its body.

In spite of its appearance, he still picked it up and exited his chambers. He needed to know what in the devil had just happened.

"You!" he hollered at the sight of Mukuro's lover, "where's Mukuro?"

Mukuro's mate jumped a little and she blinked. "She's in her room - and goodness Hiei! What in the three worlds is that thing?" Natsume squealed in fright.

He snarled, not able to answer her. "Which is why I'm looking for Mukuro," he said and left her, puzzled.

Sure enough, he located Mukuro. He hurled the dead tiny creature on her table. The woman twitched her upper lips and frowned.

"If this is something you're giving me to eat, then I will have second thoughts of appointing you as my right-hand soldier. I'm a demoness, not an uncivilised scavenger," she said dryly. He ignored her sarcasm and rolled his eyes.

"I found this thing in my chamber. Now you tell me, how did this get into your well-guarded fortress, Mukuro? Is the rest of your army being complacent? I don't appreciate being assaulted by something so feeble," he said in irritation. Mukuro stared at the dead creature, studying it.

"I have never seen anything like it," he added. He was uneasy. It seemed to hold a heavy grudge against him.

"Neither have I," Mukuro replied, "but this is alarming, Hiei, and the fact that such a weak demon got passed my surveillance is an insult to me. I will get someone to find out about its nature."

"Hn, you better-"

* * *

(Spring 2007)

"You better stop massacring my men around. The army is getting thinner. It doesn't help that I've been receiving _missing reports_ from all around the demon realm. What's the matter with you, Hiei?" Mukuro said sternly.

"Bad day-"

He really had no excuse. It had been a decade since that Yusuke's wedding night, the night where he had a sexual encounter with that blasted blue-haired ferry girl. He had not seen her and there was an unknown source of irritation that had been recently eating him. He wanted to find an outlet, to soothe this itch by killing off other weak demons.

"I see what this is about," Mukuro spoke, tapping her metallic fingers on her armchair.

"Yomi recently visited the fortress to discuss certain issues with the policies in the demon realm. He offered the services of demonesses as a gift to me, but I declined and told him that I'm inclined to only one woman. To be frank, I'm disappointed that he thinks I ever needed those flimsy services. He told me he had no use for them, but perhaps you need another outlet to relieve this frustration. It's unbecoming of you as my right-hand soldier," she said.

"Hn, I don't care about these cursed witches prancing around and bewitching men...and women," he rolled his eyes.

"It seems that we have something in common. I thought I was wrong, but perhaps the clown was right - your taste does run in the other direction," she mused.

"I'm not like you, Mukuro. I prefer only women," he answered.

"Then get to it. Don't show your face to me until you've vented your anger. I'd appreciate it if you don't injure any more of my army," she warned. He grumbled in response.

He went to the guest chambers, where two demonesses that were clad in skimpy outfits awaited. One was a tigress and the other had wings of a bat. They readily lurched onto him, but he pushed them away.

"Aren't you a rough one," the tigress purred, "but that's fine. I like aggressive boys."

"You're a bit short, but you're kinda cute. Now, cutie, won't you come to us? Or do we have to get you?" the other one said coyly, flapping her wings.

"Get out-"

He glared at them. He had met many demonesses that were forward and seductive. The whole gimmick was getting old. He thought lowly of them. These kinds held no sincerity towards him, only giving him the time of day because they wanted their wanton needs sated or they are paid to please. They acted like know-it-all dominatrices in the bedroom, letting out exaggerated cries and faking out orgasm. Treating their partners like they had them wrapped around their little fingers. The concept was exciting to him in his younger days, but he found little entertainment in them now.

"I mean it. Get out or I'll kill you," he threatened and they pouted at him. Those bitches think they could enchant him with that tactic? Hell no. They opened their mouth to complain.

"That's it-"

He slammed the door on their face. That calmed him down. They just weren't like that annoying ferry girl with purple eyes. Her scent and innocence - it took monopoly of his head and primal thoughts. Botan was genuine, hesitant and uncondescending. His last encounter with her haunted him more than he had expected.

"Hiei-sama, I'm here to bring you a message that Kurama has arrived," a B-class demon soldier located him and greeted him.

"So the fox is here. Hn, very well. Get those two strumpets to leave," he said tersely before leaving to meet Kurama. The demon grumbled, complaining about hierarchical ranks and Hiei's moody attitude. Hiei ignored all of it.

The three-eyed demon met Kurama. The fox demon was still in his human shell. A few of his reddish strands turned grey - Shuichi's body was ageing. Hiei wondered how the rest appeared in their mid-30s as humans.

"Greetings, Hiei. It has been a long time since I have seen you. Still looking like a boy in his youth, I see," Kurama said.

Perhaps nothing really changed. Though Hiei was relatively young in his demon years and that Kurama was over a thousand years old, he did not appreciate it when the kitsune treated him like a stubborn teen.

"While you chose to cohabit with a human body to become a fragile ageing thing," he retorted, "why are you here?"

"There's trouble in the spirit world," the redhead began, "Koenma wants the Urameshi team, that includes you. You're the one with the closest ties to the demon world."

"Look, I'm not the toddler's servant at his-"

He stopped. If the toddler will be there, then surely the ferry girl will be there too. A chance.

 _Wait, what?_

It wasn't like he was in love. It was more of a yearning, some sort of sickening lust for the blue-haired woman. He just wasn't done with her yet. After he tasted her, he could not help but obsess over the thought of bedding with her. He could have vented those thoughts on another lewd demoness ready to throw themselves at him, but it wouldn't be the same. Perhaps he only needs one night - one night to sate his impending need. Then, his frustrations will ebb away.

That's right. It was just a desire that bedevils his head and that he intends to cure if only he would have her once.

"I'm not a lapdog for the toddler's beck and call," Hiei continued, cautious not to reveal his inner motives to Kurama, "but if it keeps the spirit hypocrites away from the demon realm, then I will do what is necessary."

Now, the kitsune had his eyebrow arched. "It usually takes a lot more effort of persuasion, but somehow you are complying... It is either you've gone soft or you have another agenda altogether," he mused.

"Soft?" he spat. Hiei halted. Damn that fox! He knew that Hiei will reject the former assumption and that will only conclude the latter.

"I cannot fathom how your mate deals with you, given your devious being," Hiei redirected the conversation instead.

"Rabenda and I have a lot more in common, far more than you can think of," Kurama replied.

Another mysterious response.

"Apparently an artefact containing information was stolen from the spirit world. It looks like an urn. It was originally used as a Pandora's Box - or that's what it was called in the stories in the human world. Now, they stored something else in it. The spirit world knows it as _"The Golden Silence"_ better. They are suspected to be a band of thieves, filled with A-class demons. The information will cause harm to the spirit world if it is released. Our mission is to retrieve it and return it while keeping the secrecy of the information. The spirit world might be in grave danger. And the crimes of these demons will lead to more hostility between the spirit and demon community. We had been living in harmony, it is of the best interested for everyone to succeed in this mission," Kurama explained.

* * *

"That took a shorter time than expected. Guess Kurama persuaded you very well. Good to see you, Hiei," Koenma courtesied as he rummaged his documents.

Hiei ignored the toddler's greetings. He wanted to see the ferry girl _now_.

"Yo, Hiei!" Yusuke clamped his arm around the little demon's shoulder, "good to see ya. Man, you haven't been around ever since my wedding. Still remembered that moment when you stole Kuwabara's victory in the garter and it ended up biting you in the ass in the end. So, how's it going? Got a hot demoness for yourself?"

The fire demon gave him an unimpressed look. Yusuke replied, "I suppose not."

He observed them. They had aged slightly alright, but he sensed the great energies in them. They were still strong and tough. Yusuke chuckled, "what? We're still strong, even if we don't look like a hot youngster like you. You weren't around, but shortly after my marriage, I went on a quest. To suppress my Mazoku energy so that I will not slowly age and I can grow old with Keiko. It'll be a shame since I've heard demons can die of heartbreak when grieving for the death of their mates. Or I might end up like my old man, mourning all his life for his woman. I can't do that to myself or Keiko."

Hiei studied his human ally. Darn, they were willing to go _that far_ for their lovers? He could not comprehend the sentiment. Another reason why he did not bother getting a mate. "How troublesome," he scoffed.

"Well Hiei, you won't understand until you love a woman, you know? Who knows, one day some hot lady might just be the death of you. Come on man, get hitched! You're the only one who hasn't settled down," Yusuke teased and ruffled the demon's head.

Hiei frowned. Unlike the rest of them, he could not be bothered to get attached. "Give it up Urameshi. This moody gremlin won't get himself a girlfriend if he keeps acting with that stinky attitude of his," Kuwabara interjected.

"Oh well, you know what they say: if you can't give a _fuck_ , then you won't get the _fuck_ ," Yusuke snickered.

Crimson eyes narrowed. They had been using that word indiscriminately since they were teens, especially Yusuke. Occasionally the Kuwabara siblings and Keiko would say that. Meanwhile, Yukina and Botan would chide them, behaving as if the word was a taboo. He ignored it, but the word was stirring up his curiosity. He asked, "what is this word 'fuck' that you've always speak of?"

Kuwabara and Yusuke turned to one another. Sure enough, they howled in laughter. "Are you _fucking_ serious, Hiei? Holy shit!" Yusuke said amusingly, rubbing off tears from laughing.

There it was again. That word. Hiei's facial features scrunched.

"Now, now, Yusuke," Kurama stepped in, "it's not uncommon for demons to not know human slangs."

Yusuke clamped his arm on the small demon again. He leaned in, like a drunkard telling his stories, "my dear friend Hiei, you have just discovered the most functional and versatile word ever known to man."

"Get to the point, detective-"

"That word is a synonym for copulate. However, it is a casual and rather crude way of saying it. It's regarded as a profanity and can be offensive to some," Kurama explained as methodological as possible. Hiei eyed them doubtfully.

Yusuke added with a laugh, "besides that, it can be for other uses. It can be a replacement for the word 'damn it', 'shit', 'crap'; or relatably 'curses'. It can be used for you know... when someone messed up, you say 'you're so fucked' or replacing 'hell' in 'what the hell'. I bet a guy like you would love that word."

"Yea right, before you know it this three-eyed shorty will keep saying 'I don't give a fuck' because he never gives a care about anything. Thanks, Urameshi," Kuwabara grumbled.

He smirked. It sounded...really crude and sharp. It was rude and it was useful when offending someone. He concluded that he liked that word. Of all the flimsy human customs and quirks they had introduced to him, this was the only thing that was of use to him. He spoke, "I do whatever I please."

Kurama forced a cough, "boys, contain yourselves. Don't fight over something trivial, please. Let's just wait patiently while Koenma sorts out his things."

The fox demon shook his head. They never changed. They still behaved like young rebellious schoolboys. Oh, those good old days.

Yusuke's head perked up, "oh yeah. What's taking you so long, toddler? You've been searching for something for like 10 minutes."

"Just a second, Yusuke. I can't find the paper that had all the information. Where in the world Botan ran off to?" the prince grumbled, "Jorge! Where is Botan?"

"She left and asked to take a leave when you mentioned about gathering the whole team together. You said no and she went to get Kurama, Yusuke and Kuwabara as you've instructed. Then she scrambled after that," Jorge answered.

It was difficult to contain Hiei's feral growl. So she was anxious about his arrival. She managed to be the messenger for the rest, but not him. The lust that occupied his judgment from that wedding night returned.

"Well then don't just stand there, get her!" Koenma yelled at the poor ogre.

"Don't move. I'll be the one who'll get her-"

Everyone's head piped up in surprise. Did Hiei just say what he just said? The demon in question ignored their reactions. This was what he truly came for, anyway. Frankly, he never did give a damn about helping to clean up the spiritual world's messes, he only helped if it benefitted him in some way, monetarily or not.

"I'm the fastest around here," he reasoned lamely.

The toddler raised his eyebrow. He was rendered speechless. But then again, Hiei was unpredictable as lightning. "Uhh, sure? Her room's at the end of the hall and turn left," he informed.

In a flash, Hiei disappeared.

"Well, that was weird-"

* * *

He crept up to the window instead and peered from its curtains. The woman did not notice his presence yet.

"Hiei-"

She spoke his name breathlessly. It was not because she had realised his presence, but more like he was present in her fantasies. She was apparently in the middle of... something. He smirked. So the lusting was not one-sided. Good, this ought to be interesting.

He watched her a bit more, entertained by her soft moans, they were all too familiar. They brought back the memories of that night to flames. It burned within his core. Concluding that he had enjoyed the show enough and that it was time for him to act upon his desires, he stepped into her room.

"Woman, that's a pathetic way of getting pleasure. Not when the object of your fantasies yearns for the same thing-"

 ** _1) I had difficulties finding a character who can be a suitable mate for Mukuro. Her having a mate in this fic will be important later on. I decided that it will be possible for her to have a female mate because she is strong, and it is difficult to view her with another man (except for Hiei, but this is a HB fic so he is out of the choices). Anyway, I had read some fics of her being with females so why not? I picked Natsume because she is also equally strong, given that Mukuro vs Natsume was a close fight during the Demon World Tournament. It is likely that Mukuro will respect a girl like Natsume._**

 ** _2) I had always wondered what would happen if the group were to teach Hiei the human "bad words". I was reluctant to add it but I kept it anyway because I don't recall Hiei spouting profanities in the series (Japanese audio at least), so it will be weird if Hiei starts dropping f-bombs although it is very fitting for a crude personality like him._**

 ** _3) Man, I enjoy writing down Hiei in frustration. I went to listen to "Hellfire" for this chapter LOL. I prefer to write about lust and obsession than romance. Hence the anguish-lust conflict in Hiei and Botan._**

 ** _4) Remember when I said that this won't just be romance? Yeah, "The Golden Silence" is important in the first part of this fic. It has something to do with secrets ooooh._**


	5. Visit II

Of Marigold and Dragonflies

Chapter 5

"Visit II"

A/N: So Botan has been caught red-handed (or should I say white-handed?) by Hiei! What will Hiei do?

* * *

(Spring 2007)

When Botan found out that Koenma wanted to gather the former team, including Hiei, her insides screamed. She scrambled. She did not want to meet him. That would've been so awkward and humiliating!

Ever since that encounter, Hiei plagued her erotic dreams and fantasies. Sex was never the topic in her mind before this. Now, she will think of it quite regularly, with the three-eyed demon the centre of the subject. She wanted to feel those wonderful sensations again on that fateful night. The way his fingers caressed her skin and his teeth nipped the insides of her thighs. Not to mention when he tasted her- oh lord, it was...amazing!

He had introduced her these wanton needs that she never expected to have. Sadly, it was the last of it. For ten years, Botan had waited for him to do something or appear at her place. But he never did. He had stirred something that was buried in her consciousness and lit it up like a flame, that was starving to be satisfied and grew uncontrollable as time grows.

She knew that she could satisfy these needs with another man, or even with a woman, if she was desperate. Yet, she refused and vowed to not arrive at that option. Not only it will label her as a minx, but it will also be unsatisfactory. She knew that only one man can quell these flames of sinful yearning: Hiei.

He ignited a spark that grew into a rampant inferno, and he was the only one that could extinguish it.

The thought of his arrival intensified the burning rage in her core. She shook her head as her hand travelled to her underwear. She developed a habit of pleasuring herself to compensate for these needs. She wanted to replicate the feeling of his ministrations, albeit it was never enough. She knew that she ought not to do this but...

 _His eyes... They were red with intense passion and they were alluring._

Her fingers continued to play with her.

 _His voice... They were often jarred with insults and threats, but when they were seductive or even had hints of sincerity... It made her melt._

Her unoccupied hand gripped her sheets.

 _And not to mention all those times she had witnessed him fighting and those ripped biceps...oh, oh!_ Botan concluded that the little demon was gorgeous.

She arched her back, expecting the release she was searching for.

"Hiei..." she breathed. She loved how his name rolled off her tongue.

She was close-

"Woman, that's a pathetic way of getting pleasure. Not when the object of your fantasies yearns for the same thing-"

Her eyelids snapped open at the sound of that voice. Before her, stood the fire demon, with a smug look on his face.

"Hiei!" she scrambled as she turned beet red in embarrassment. She immediately reshuffled the layers of her kimono, save that her underwear was discarded on her bed.

"I was- well- I-"

"Save your breath. I know what you're thinking," he interjected and advanced towards her.

She pouted and rebutted immediately, "you-you used that Jagan eye on me! Again! And how long have you been standing there, watching me like a creep?"

"Foolish girl," he said monotonously, unimpressed, "I don't need the Jagan to know your thoughts. My name was on your lips while you were pleasuring yourself." At this, the ferry girl blushed in deep scarlet. Guilty as charged. She could not defend her actions as she was caught red-handed by the very object of her fantasy himself.

"I'm- I'm sorry!" she hung her head low, muttering and almost crying, "it's just that- after that incident with you, I had always been thinking about it! You said that it won't be the last time we'll do something like that...but you never visited me. I didn't know where you are for this past decade. It was killing me! I didn't want to go and find someone else to relieve what I'm feeling because I wanted to do it with you..so I started to...you know...do it myself."

"Oh dear...I don't even know why I'm telling you all this! It's so embarrassing..." she muttered and placed a hand on her head, "I feel so bad... I shouldn't be thinking of you this way... I just couldn't help it. I feel like I'm such a bad person... I'm really sorry Hiei."

He stared at her. This woman was punishing herself for something that was so... instinctive. Lust was a common primal compulsion in the demon realm. But for Botan, she treated it like an unlawful ritual that is wrong and unjust. Sure, anyone would be offended if they are the subject of their ardour and did not reciprocate the desire. And these sexual yearning, when deprived of and becomes a built-up unreleased craving, can lead to unwanted consequences.

But not for their case. Botan's repressed longing was on mutual grounds with Hiei's.

"You crave for me to fuck you," he stated. The new word he learnt... it sounded odd but perhaps he wanted to test how she would react to it. She seemed stunned.

"Well..." she shied away from him, "uhm... Hiei... that's a very straightforward of saying it..."

"It's the truth, isn't it?"

He leaned towards her. She felt even more intimidated, her heart was racing! Hiei was being direct with this, it was making her dizzy. She had been wishing for this during the past decade, yet she froze when it was actually happening.

 _No, this has to be another dream of hers!_ She pinched herself.

"Ouch! It's real!"

Hiei watched her quizzically. This ferry girl was strange. Her quirkiness had been amusing yet annoying to him. He held her head firmly. She froze once more, just waiting for him to do something.

"Take these damn layers off," he commanded, his voice harsh and authoritative that it broke her trance. She did as she was told.

* * *

He was doing what he had done to her a decade ago.

The burning desire within her was gradually rekindling, like a newborn baby crying its lungs out for air. His oral ministrations on her were awakening what was left dead-cold years ago. She could not breathe - the sensations were hypnotising her, making her travel through the memory lane that consisted of _them_. His crimson eyes, his authoritative voice, his ebony hair - and most of all, his body heat. She thought she will never experience that fervour he had given her again. That maybe, just maybe, he regretted it and regarded it as a mistake.

Yet, here he was, doing the same action: it set her soul ablaze.

The blaze quickened and spread throughout her system like wildfire, so untamed and raw that it scared her a little. But it was a good kind of fright, the kind that made her heart dance and thoughts go array - the thrill of unfamiliar danger. She shouldn't be doing this - but she had no control over something invisible that burned. She even checked the spirit world rules: there were no rules that forbid relationships between a spirit and a demon. They were currently trying to foster good relations with the Demon World, so it might have been hypocritical to forbid such a relationship. Yet, Botan also knew that such relationships were rare, for there had always been a prejudice against one another. Relations with demons were frowned upon by the Spirit World, as demons were stereotyped to be ruthless and barbaric in nature. Botan disregarded those stereotypes - she knew better because some of her friends were demons and they were the most loyal people she could depend on.

She opened her eyes, feeling that he had ceased. She was met with the pair of blood-shot orbs that she adored.

He rested his male genitalia on her aroused entrance. It pulsated with anticipation. So close.

"Gird yourself" - he said.

She braced herself for what was going to occur. Yet-

There was a faint knock on the door. Hiei cursed.

"Uhh... You there, Botan? Hiei went to get you but he was taking so long. I was wondering if he even went here?" Yusuke said through the door.

"N-No! He didn't!" Botan lied as she scrambled to put on her clothes, "wait, hold on! I just showered and I'm changing. Don't come in, Yusuke! Or else I'll beat you with my oar!"

The fire demon was already at the window. The two shared eye contact before Hiei left. Botan shivered at the predatory look he gave her - it was similar to the expression he had before he left a decade ago.

Botan's intuition told her that he wasn't done yet.

* * *

Hiei waited a while until he had joined the others. Botan and Yusuke were already there.

"Hey, I thought you wanted to get Botan?" Yusuke asked.

"Lost my way-"

Yusuke hummed, not convinced of his answer.

"It's unlike you to have weak bearings," Kurama commented, intensely observing the fire demon's poker face. Hiei innerly grumbled. That darned fox! Always placing the puzzles together.

The blue-haired woman shifted anxiously. Hiei rolled his eyes in irritation. If anything, the woman's body language will get them caught in the lie quickly.

"So," Koenma coughed, "as mentioned: find the culprits, retrieve The Golden Silence and ensure that its lid does not get opened!"

"Hold it-"

Everyone stared at Hiei. He looks royally pissed... as usual. He hissed, "you keep talking about this artefact that it contains important information, but you haven't said a single word about what it is that makes it so damn special."

"Yeah Koenma, Hiei's right-"

"I agree. Mind telling us what we're exactly looking for, toddler?" Yusuke said. The prince was distressed.

" _The secret is a burden but it's worth it...for silence is golden_ ," Koenma replied in cold sweat. His answer bewildered the four men.

"We don't have time for riddles Koenma. Just tell us what it is!" Kuwabara shrieked.

The prince shrank further, beads of perspiration dripping down to the sides of his face and onto his chin. Nervously, he answered, " _The secret is a burden but it's worth it...for -"_

"Silence is golden, yeah, yeah, we get it," the former spirit detective interrupted, "stop fooling around and tell us!"

The repetition of the toddler raised suspicions from Kurama and Hiei. Something was not right.

" _The secret... is a_ -" Koenma's eyes were screaming for help.

"Alright, that's it, enough of you fucking around-"

"Wait, Yusuke," Kurama held the former spirit detective back, "I think it's not because Koenma _doesn't_ _want_ to tell us, it's more like he _can't_ tell us."

"Seriously?"

"Thank you, Kurama," Koenma sighed in relief.

"Is there any way for us to lift the spell?"

"The secret is a burden..." Koenma echoed the words, much to his exhaustion between his Mafukan, " _please_..."

Both demons sensed a spike in Koenma's fear. The toddler rarely begged. Kurama smiled knowingly and with sympathy. The poor prince was in a tight spot. The fox demon said, "I'm assuming that you can't tell us a solution either and even if we found a way to lift it, your safety isn't guaranteed." Koenma nodded.

"For the prince of the spirit world to be under an enchantment to keep his silence, the nature of the secret concealed in that artefact must be a scandalous one. One that can expose spirit world in a negative light. How interesting," Hiei scoffed condescendingly, smirking and eyes glowering at the prince.

"Oh," Yusuke snapped his fingers, "that's why you were so desperate to band us together to obtain that artefact back. But what if the lid is opened? Then does that mean the secret is out? What will happen?"

"The secret is a-" Koenma shuddered in fear and regret, he shook his head and refused to finish the sentence.

"Again, I'll assume that there are heavy consequences when that happens. So it'll be essential to retrieve it as soon as possible. Hiei, have you tried locating it with the Jagan eye?" the redhead turned to the three-eyed demon.

"Don't mock me kitsune," Hiei growled, "I have already done so on the way here but to no avail. I can't sense it. It must be located deep in the hearts of the demon world."

"Then we need to act fast. The demon world is rather vast. So we'll split up," Kurama explained, "I will go with Yusuke. Kuwabara and Hiei will need to work together. Take this communicator and this kazoo with you. The kazoo works like a whistle for you to call Puu when you need him."

"Try not to call him when he can potentially get hurt though," Yusuke warned, "Puu has aged like me. He's not as fast and invincible as he used to. The last thing I want is to have him rushed into a medical ward."

Kuwabara slammed his fist on a table and shook his head, "I'm okay with having Puu only in case of an emergency, but working with that grumpy gremlin? No way!"

"Believe me, it's mutual," Hiei added.

"Among the four of us, you're the only human psychic and you've never travelled in the demon world before. Hiei knows the place well. You can help him with your strong psychic senses. I've been in and out of the demon world a few times and had been living here during my time as Yoko Kurama, so I'll guide Yusuke. Yusuke has suppressed his demon energy while my demon soul is infused in Minamino Shuichi's human body. Both of us can even out our weakened physique," Kurama elaborated. Kuwabara and Hiei could only sulk.

"Wait, what about me?" Botan questioned, "don't I get to do anything? I'm part of this team, you know!"

"No, stay here," Koenma answered, "you've helped enough to sort out the documents I needed. Now stay put."

"Yeah. No offence Botan, but you'll only worry us," Yusuke said.

"What? I'm not useless!-"

"Botan, that's an order," Koenma sternly said, "this is not for you."

That was strange. Koenma normally sent her with them, so why was he adamant about restricting her to do so?

"Yes, Botan. Please, do not disobey it. It will only bring you harm than good," Ayame, who had been so quiet during the meeting, spoke up and startled everyone.

" _Please, Botan_ ," she repeated. There was a desperate plea in her tone that made Botan decide against rebutting.

There must be a _good_ reason for this.

* * *

(Winter 2011)

 _The blue-haired woman stared in the mirror. There was no hope in her eyes, they were filled with darkness. It contrasted the whiteness of her clothing. There was no point - she thought._

 _"Miss Charlene?"_

 _She turned as one of the chambermaids called her out. "I'll be there soon," she said, as she hid the dagger in her pocket._

 _She'll join them soon, she thought. There was nothing left here._

"Botan! Botan!" a voice called out.

"Yes?" Botan broke away from her trance.

 _Those dreams again..._

 ** _Ever since The Golden Silence had been opened, she had been having those relentless dreams._**

"You were in a daze... You were standing with a sombre expression. I got worried," Rabenda observed her, "was it those visions again?"

"Yes... They don't seem to stop. Some are nice, some are just horrid. But I want to know more about my past life," the blue-haired ferry girl answered.

"I see," Rabenda looked at her sympathetically.

"But never mind about that!" Botan flung her wrist, trying to dispel the tension, "what brings you here to the Spirit World? I thought you went back to the human world with Kurama?"

"Kurama is occupied with his work in the human world. I am here to discuss with Koenma the past events in Kurama's place," the demoness answered.

"That's so sweet!" Botan chirped, "you're helping out Kurama when he's busy! I remember when Hiei used to-"

She stopped and shook her head. No, that was the past. There was no point in remembering those times when Hiei helped her whenever she was busy with her Spirit World duties. Rabenda looked at her with worry, knowing what had happened between Botan and Hiei. Botan immediately saw how her behaviour was worrying the demoness. The ferry girl did not want to be a trouble to anyone.

"I mean...Let's just walk in the garden, shall we? I bet an Earth dryad like you would love it," Botan suggested. Rabenda nodded and followed her into their destination.

The two women admired some beautiful flowers, they stopped at a bunch of marigold flowers. "These are new, I brought them from the human world," Botan explained.

The other woman was silent. Marigolds - they were the flowers of grief. Being an Earth demon, she knew the significance of those flowers to Botan. "You can talk to me about your little sunshine, Botan," she reassured, "I did not know you as long as Kurama and the others, but you and Hiei are Kurama's friends. It's my responsibility to take care of Kurama's friends as well."

"Thanks, I really appreciate it-"

Drip.

Drop.

There was a red stain that painted the flowers. The two women were bewildered for a moment until they looked up to the source. There, a tiny creature that screeched, its ear-splitting voice was enough to deafen them. It lurched towards Botan. She took stumbled as a result, fear rippling all over her. The creature dropped to the floor, missing Botan by the hair.

It screamed again, preparing to launch itself. Botan shielded herself, preparing for the attack.

"Ack! Mama!"

The creature yelled in pain, as Rabenda tore its body apart with vines that she was controlling with her demon energy. Its bloody pieces dropped onto the ground, reeking in goo.

"It called me-"

"Botan! It's _not_ your sunshine, do you hear me?" Rabenda snapped at her, clutching her shoulder.

"But... It just said-" Botan trembled, tears forming.

"A child would not hurt its mother, that's something else," Rabenda answered, "it's another demon. The problem is how it got into the Spirit World."

"What's the commotion about?" a Spirit World resident yelled in annoyance. Botan realised that the ruckus might have attracted some residents in her world to check out the scene. A few gasps and whispers were heard when they noticed the awful demon remains on the ground.

"Is that a demon?"

"Yes," Botan answered, "but-"

"You infidel minx!" a female resident hollered, pointing a finger at her, "when will you stop bringing in your demon friends? I don't care if you're Koenma's favourite, but this is too much!"

A male resident pointed in Rabenda's direction, "what is this demon doing here? Are you blind, ferry girl? That demoness has horns in her head! Clearly, devil horns!"

"She's an Earth dryad. Those horns are-" Botan tried to defend Kurama's mate.

"When will you learn? First, you've slept with the three-eyed demon who was a thief! He stole from us! Next, you sired a child with him. Thank heavens it died! I thought that having your child dead will-" the residents pressed on.

The demoness glared at the crowd. This caused the resident who was speaking to halt in fear. "Say whatever you please about demons, but _not_ another word about the baby, do you understand?" Rabenda threatened darkly, moving a few vines to prove her point. The residents backed away, the crowd dispersing from sight.

"We should go," Rabenda suggested, picking up the demon remains and stuffing them into a plastic bag.

"I'm bringing this to Kurama and have it investigated. Kurama and I might figure out this creature's nature. Please inform Koenma about this incident," Rabenda added. Botan nodded and went her own way.

 _If my theory is correct, this creature might keep attacking Hiei and Botan, unless we do something drastic about it. I need to find Kurama quickly and confirm it with him._ \- the demoness speculated.

A/N: Oh no! A creature just attacked Hiei! Botan too? What is going on and how will it stop? Also, how was Botan's dreams of her past life and The Golden Silence related?

 ** _1) That creature is NOT their child. It'll be something else but it will be revealed later. But for now, just know that this problem will force them to reunite._**

 ** _2) I decided to name the past-life counterpart of Botan as "Charlene" - after Botan's name in the YYH Tagalog dub. YYH was incredibly popular in the Philippines and it was known as "Ghost Fighter" in the Tagalog dub. That's actually how I got to know YYH at first. When I was a toddler, it aired around in the early 2000s in Tagalog dub when I was still living in the Philippines. They say it was so popular in the Philippines that people ran from school to their house when it showed in the afternoons; and people would go imitate the "spirit gun" during the fight scenes. Heck, even my parents knew about this anime._**

 ** _3) Man, I actually really want to write up a short Rabenda (OC) x Kurama fic because it'll explain Rabenda and Kurama's relationship a lot more. One trait of Rabenda that I will like to highlight is that because of her being an Earth-type of a demon, she has strong affiliations with the flora and fauna. I'd also imagine that her nature was Kurama's inspiration to use plants as weapons (but that would be in my short story). I saw some Earth dryad art and they had horns on their head, like a ram._**

 ** _4) I thought Rabenda will be more suitable to be with Botan in this scene because of the Marigold scene, to show how the Spirit World dislikes it when Botan brings in her demon friends and she will bring the creature to Kurama for identification._**

 ** _5) I would imagine that Botan will face prejudice in the Spirit World because of her affiliations with Hiei, especially when Hiei had committed a felony crime initially._**

Lastly, this will not be updated for several weeks because schoolwork is starting to be hectic as hell. I just thought of updating two chapters to have the interesting content out and not keep people waiting. I will continue this somewhere in October/November if time permits. Do tell me your thoughts! It really makes me happy and motivates me to write even more.

P.S. More angst... Coming soon.


	6. Peculiar Enemy

Yu Yu Hakusho Fanfiction

Hiei/Botan

Of Marigolds and Dragonflies

Chapter 6

"Peculiar Enemy"

* * *

(Winter 2011)

"Why are you here?"

"Don't be so brash, Hiei," Kurama spoke, "I'm here because I have urgent news. It's about your safety."

"Your concerns are wasted. I'm capable of protecting myself," Hiei scoffed, "the Jagan Eye has yet to fully recover but my strength remains superior."

He turned to leave.

"Listen to me, Hiei. This concerns your child," Kurama called out, eyes gleaming in a reserved victory. He did not wish to play that card, but the fire demon was often not easily persuaded.

Hiei looked at the redhead with a frown.

"I've talked to Mukuro. It's about the little demon that attacked you," Kurama pressed on, "even if you kill it, it'll keep coming back. Not just you, but to Botan as well."

"What?"

"It's rare, but the demon is a called a foetus imp. Once it gathers enough demon energy, it finds the corpse of an infant and feeds on its matter. Then, it will replicate its form and search to feed on the blood of the infant's parents to become a full-fledged demon," Kurama explained as he sensed Hiei's energy rising.

His face twisted in anger. "I ignored it, but I saw blood on the child's grave."

"That's... probably the foetus imp that fed on your son's remains," Kurama's voice drained.

Hiei was ready to unwrap his bandages. He said, the fangs in his eyes not leaving, "they just can't leave _him_ alone in peace, would they?"

"Do not be impulsive, Hiei-"

"Do not stop me, fox-"

"You can't kill it through ordinary means. It will keep reappearing until it is done with you and Botan," the fox demon placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm confident you can defend yourself when it comes to you being attacked. But what about _the mother_?" he added.

"I'm sure that the Spirit World's defences will not let a mere demon in their kingdom, considering how daemonophobic they are," the koorime scoffed.

"You don't understand," Kurama shook his head, "the foetus imp managed to attack Botan yesterday. We notified Koenma and had her confined in a home with talismans, but the talismans only serve as temporary protection."

"Then how?"

"There are no records on how to kill it, unfortunately. These creatures are rare species. Hardly anyone comes across it, more so on people who had dealt with it. Thus searching in the archives of the demon world library is impossible. Though I do have a pretty good idea of a race where they may have encountered the same problem and may even hold the answers," Kurama concluded.

Hiei raised his eyebrows and said sarcastically, "as if a certain race would frequently execute their babies-"

He halted. There was such a race that existed in the demon world.

"Yes, the ice maidens-"

Once again, Hiei was dealing with another enemy that was something else, just like he did before.

* * *

(Spring 2007)

The four males split up into the respective duos that they had assigned, scouring the plains of the demon world to search for the gang of thieves that had stolen the spirit world artefact. Not for long, Hiei and Kuwabara stumbled upon a camp at the field of snow and ice glaciers, whereby a large herd of hostile demons that are likely to be part of the gang. As expected, the two fend the herd off, though the pile of them keeps coming like insects.

Yet, something was odd.

Hiei noticed that the demons had been moving as if they had no will of their own. Are they...?

"Damn it, there's too many of them!" Kuwabara yelled as he swung his spirit sword furiously. The man was running out of breath, given that his body was in the middle age.

"Tsk. These demons seem to be mindless. Someone is controlling them," Hiei concluded.

"But who?"

"Probably the leader, but whoever he may be, I am going to kill him," Hiei commented with spite.

"Then stop toying with the opponents and kill em' with one go!" the other man said in frustrations. He was still slashing the demons in half with his sword. Both of them backed away but realised that the opponents encircled them. Hiei attempted to slice another demon but its hard claws broke his katana into two.

"Stand back, I will need to use the dragon for this-"

The three-eyed demon quickly removed the bandages around his arm, revealing the mark of the dragon. Kuwabara immediately took cover, knowing that the flames of the dragon can be erratic and he might get risked getting hit.

"Jaou Ensatsu Kokuryuuha!"

In an instant, the crowd was devoured by the dragon, pulverising into nothingness. With the herd gone, a tent erected in the middle of the white field.

"That's strange. We should tell the others about this. Where's the communicator?" Kuwabara asked.

"If you're describing that abominable device that the ferry girl likes to use, one of the demons had destroyed it," Hiei answered.

The two approached the tent and found a woman shackled up.

Narrowing his eyes, Hiei pointed his sword at her, "who are you?"

"I-I'm just someone they took! They said- they said they would do something to me..." she shivered in fear. This cued Kuwabara to advance and comfort the lady while Hiei stood unmoving. While Kuwabara, being the gentleman he is, easily warmed up to the girl, the three-eyed demon observed her doubtfully.

"Thank you for saving me-"

She proceeded to tap both men on their shoulder with a smile.

The red-haired female had large bangs and was donned in a light blue dress, the ones that water demons usually wore. What was an aquatic demon doing in a polar habitat? The water bodies in the demon realm were far from here, and what would they have taken her for?

"Speak. Why did they capture you?" Hiei interrogated, slightly showing his fangs to intimidate the woman. She cowered in fear as a response.

Kuwabara stepped in front of her protectively. "Stop being a jackass, Hiei. The girl had just experienced an ordeal and you're not doing any good by scaring her."

"If you have your blood in your mind instead of it coursing downstream, you would have at least find it suspicious," Hiei fought back. He had lived long enough to know how devious some female demon species are. Water nymphs were notorious for tricking sailors with their defying looks and drowning them for consumption. What's even worse is that he couldn't use the Jagan eye to unearth her intentions. Yet, he couldn't sense a darn thing on her - no spectral power or nefarious presence. Nothing.

"Hiei, that's sick. I'm married to Yukina and I'm a grown man in my 30s. I'm just thinking... she could be someone's daughter and they are worried sick. It's called being a gentleman!"

"It's called being an imbecile-"

The little demon glanced up at the darkened sky. The Sun was setting and they were in a geographical region whereby the weather conditions were harsh at night. Their communicator had been shattered so they could not update Yusuke and Kurama about their situation. He was feeling rather iffy about the mindless demon underlings' odd behaviours and the suspicious aquatic demoness they had just met. On top of that, his energy was spent due to the excessive use of the dragon that his Jagan eye usage was weak. It did not help that he was forced to work with Kuwabara, whom he often disagrees with.

Exhausted, he sighed. "Do what you wish. I won't entertain myself with this foolish nonsense," Hiei curtly said, "I'm not offering hospitality in the name of foregone chivalry."

He quickly hopped onto a tree and sped out of sight. Kuwabara could only grumble about the demon's lack of cooperation.

* * *

Hiei had not left. The human and water nymph decided to camp out in the Forest of Fools. It was a place where the more peaceful creatures resided, so it was fairly safe. Yet, his instincts had indicated otherwise. It's not like he cared about the middle-aged human's safety - that's what he had been chanting to himself. It was the fact that the water nymph was suspicious and his conscientious could not handle the fact that his twin sister's mate is in potential danger.

Alright, maybe he was _a tad_ concerned about Kuwabara. Big deal!

From a tree-top, Hiei eavesdropped onto their conversation.

"You've been so kind to me. You're a nice man," the water nymph complimented, "I bet your mate is one lucky girl."

 _Yukina... I haven't seen her for years_ \- the fire demon pondered. He had been out of reach for a decade and had kept a distance from her ever since he had told her that "her brother" was dead. He was adamant that she was better off without her knowing their relation. He had to admit that Kuwabara had treated Yukina with respect and great affection, and was more than capable of giving her the happiness the ice apparition deserves. As much as Hiei disfavours humans, Yukina seemed content with living in the human realm and adopting their lifestyle.

It was a bitter thought, he guessed. He was not an active participant in her happiness. He could not afford to give her anyway, for he had been living in a complete polar opposite. The only comfort he had to dispel the bitterness was that his malaise disposition will taint the purity of that happiness she got.

"Oh no, I'm the lucky one for having my wife...err mate as you call it. She's so kind and beautiful, I bet you'll like her. It's unfortunate that we couldn't have kids. But if we ever have one, say a daughter, I want her to be as lovely and polite as you, Sayuri," Kuwabara replied, getting all flustered about Yukina like a teenaged boy rambling about his first high school crush.

Kids... It never occurred to Hiei that he can potentially have a nephew or a niece. Yukina was the only family member to him and he never thought of having an additional relative.

Though now they were at the topics of siring children, why didn't Yukina had children like the ice maidens who gave birth via immaculate conception? Was it because they moved away from the Glacial Village? Or maybe the fact that they were not born via immaculate conception and can only breed sexually? If so, why couldn't Kuwabara and Yukina conceive? Was being a twin to a forbidden child mean that she is barren? Is _he_ even able to sire a child?

He shook his head. He was over-analysing this. He should not be bothered to figure out the ice apparition's breeding nature without evidence or even ponder _the possibility_ of him having children. The case of him and Yukina being born was an anomaly - a curse, something that was outlawed and frowned upon. There should be a high chance that they can deviate away from the ice apparitions' nature.

"Forgive me, but aquatic creatures need to submerge in a water body to feel at ease. Will it be alright for you to give me privacy?" Sayuri requested.

"Alright," Kuwabara said, standing up to move away, "err... I'll go get some firewood."

Once the middle-aged human was out of sight, Sayuri undressed and submerged her body within the lake. "You know, it's tasteless for you to partake in voyeurism and watch a woman. Why can't you be like your human friend? He's very kind," she spoke suddenly, her tone being hostile as compared to her conversation with Kuwabara.

The demon knew that she was referring to him. He emerged from his hiding place.

"How self-obsessive," he scrutinised his eyes, removing his bandage, "it disgusts me for the likes of you to take advantage of someone's kindness. But I'm not like him, should the need arise, I will kill you."

Great. Now that Hiei was fully rested, perhaps his Jagan eye can work better. His artificial eye glowed, intending to invade the mind of the water nymph before him.

Yet, nothing happened. The fire demon was taken aback. This had never happened before.

She chuckled, "you poor thing, you think you're the only one with the Jagan eye?"

Kuwabara was humming a cheerful tune to himself. Never mind about Hiei being difficult. He was looking forward to completing the mission and returning to Yukina.

With ample firewood in his arms, he settled it on the ground. He worked furiously on igniting a flame to create a bonfire, but to no avail. If only Hiei was not so hard-headed and perhaps helped him out with creating fire. The little demon had some sort of pyrokinesis, right? He glanced around and the small white pouch that the woman was carrying within her dress- hmm, perhaps there was something that could help him?

He hesitated. Was it right for him to go through someone else's paraphernalia? Yet, the words of the koorime haunted him. Hiei was a reckless person, but he was not necessarily careless. He did not want to stereotype demons like what most people do, given that he was married to one. As much as he wanted to have faith in Sayuri, there was also that possibility. What if Hiei's intuition was not just a habit of hostility?

 _Alright, maybe a quick peek of the small pouch wouldn't hurt_ \- he thought. It was ridiculously tiny anyway, what could possibly be the container of it? Kuwabara reached inside the thumb-sized pouch, but there was something strange. The space inside the pouch seemed to be larger than what it was expected. He managed to place his whole arm inside it. How could that be when the pouch was only the size of his thumb?! He panicked. His hand touched something solid. With much force, he pulled the item out like a magician plucking a chubby rabbit out of a small hat.

What the- this is... _The Golden Silence_!

He examined the item. The lid was opened. The secret was out - whatever that information was. With the item in his arm, he immediately sped off. Knowing the demon, Hiei was probably somewhere nearby, watching them silently.

A scream of pain from a familiar voice echoed throughout the forest. This was bad! Hiei Jaganshi _rarely_ yelled. He was capable of enduring pain. For him to react like that...

They had been too confident. The enemy was likely something else.

* * *

A/N: Don't worry guys, the mystery will be solved soon. The next chapter will be up in a few minutes.


	7. Lost Sons

Of Marigolds and Dragonflies

Chapter 7

"Lost Sons"

* * *

(Spring 2007)

"You must have gotten your Jagan eye from surgery, yes?" she asked, "the children of the sea are born with a natural Jagan eye - cyclops, nymphs and _ningyo_... you name it. Not always but the strong ones do."

A circular glow illuminated beneath her red bangs. Hiei readied himself. He had not met someone else with a Jagan eye, more so of someone who is born with it. All those demons attacking, the missing demons that Mukuro has mentioned, the fact as to why he could not read her using his Jagan eye...It all made sense now.

"You... That's why the herd of demons were endless. You turned them into your mind slaves using a Jagan eye. No wonder Mukuro had reports about missing demons. You were behind all of this," Hiei concluded. Though he had not discovered her motivations to go to such lengths to steal The Golden Silence.

Sayuri clapped, "you're not as imprudent as I thought. I was beginning to doubt that the infamous Spirit Detective had friends who lacked sharpness. But never mind that, it doesn't matter now. Stealing The Golden Silence and opening the lid was my only desire. My job here is done. I am neither living or dead, but what's certain is that the Spirit World will cast me out or punish me. Perhaps it'll be nice to take _another_ fire demon's life before I'm caught. Or we can take this the civilised way: let me go and we'll forget that this ever happened."

"Hn, I prefer if I just obliterate you into flames," Hiei replied, preparing to unwrap the bandage in his arm. Him, backing down from a fight? After the wretched female just implied the inferiority of his Jagan eye that he put himself in great suffering when having it transplanted? He was having none of that nonsense.

"I wouldn't waste my time on that if I were you-"

He ignored her amusement and prepared to unleash his power, but nothing happened. A sharp pain shot up between his nerves. He spat out blood. The source of agony seemed to be from where she touched him moments ago. It seemed to prevent him from releasing the dragon and the mythical beast was raging within his body, unable to emit from him.

She hexed him!

So the nymph practised witchcraft as well. That was odd. Hardly any demons relied on witchcraft. The continuous agony proved to be a distraction for him. She began to use the Jagan eye and placed a binding curse on him. It held him in a death grip, like a python suffocating a mouse.

"I warned you," she said advancing to him, "I'm fortunate that you happened to be a fire demon. My hexes are limited, lucky that I knew the one that is fatal to fire demons. This reminds me of precious memory. You know... the first and last time I used it was-"

"I don't care-"

Hiei's curtness despite being bounded caused Sayuri to become greatly offended. The Jagan binding curse tightened further, threatening to cease blood flow in his body. The bindings rubbed on his skin, ripping it and causing him to bleed. He grunted, unable to breathe. Sayuri advanced to him, a dagger in hand that emitted a sinister aura.

"Didn't your mother tell you to keep your mouth shut when a lady is talking-!"

She drove the dagger, plunging it onto Hiei's Jagan eye. Crimson liquid burst from his eyelids. An excruciating ache tormented him - the last time he had felt this way, was during the operation when he had the Jagan eye transplant. He let out a blood-curdling scream. No one, in his years, had ever managed to impale his Jagan eye.

"As I was saying," she continued, "there was a fire demon I came across. He was dying but was determined to travel. He mentioned that he learned that his mate passed away and he was bound to die because of that. Yet, he pressed on because he had a son that was cast away from an ice village when the boy was just an infant. He was determined to look for him you see... But of course, he got so ill and... I ended up killing him. Was it out of mercy or cruelty? It was something I kept debating with myself till this day."

"Come to think of it..." she glanced at Hiei, "the resemblance between you and him was uncanny. Oh! Don't tell me-"

She smiled cheekily at him and giggled, "you don't happen to be that male baby he was looking for, do you?"

Feigning sympathy, her smile dropped into a mocking frown, "how upsetting... And you probably spent years resenting an uncaring father who did not acknowledge his prejudiced son's existence, right?"

She stepped on the dagger that erected from his third eyelid. She plucked it out and used it to stab his shins so that he will not use his quickness if he ever gets away.

"When I am free from these restraints, I will kill you-"

Damn, he was an S-class demon and yet... why was he overwhelmed? Was it his overconfidence or the fact that she utilised witchcraft and a Jagan eye altogether?

"It's okay. I'll make you join him soon," she reassured soothingly like a nursing mother, as if she was not injuring him in the first place. The aquatic nymph proceeded to dump Hiei's bounded body into the lake and manipulated the water into a spherical shape.

There was no mercy for Hiei to even think.

His nostrils were invaded by the relentless water. His wounded Jagan eye stung. His lungs were running out of air fast. His flames refused to emerge.

It was pathetic and ironic for the S-class pyrokinetic demon to die by drowning.

Was this the end? He knew that one day he might bite the dust in a fight, but this- this was absurd!

For as long as he could remember, trouble had always followed him. He was one to make more enemies than allies and his mother's tear gem was the only item that could calm his bloodlust. Up until he met Yusuke and the others, he led a life filled with nihilism. Even as of now that he works for Mukuro, it was an endless cycle of patrolling job and training for the next Demon World Tournament. Was there really a point in all that? Demons lived for a darn long time, yet, it was rare for one to know what they live for.

Which begs the question: what, or rather _who_ , had Hiei been fighting for?

Himself? Yukina? His alliance with the Urameshi team? His loyalty to Mukuro? To reach his full potential and gain power? He was certain that he was prepared to die when Mukuro wanted to recruit him. Yet, Mukuro claimed that he was wrong and placed him in the medical chamber so that he could live longer. His superior always mentioned that it was not the end for him, that there was more that he needed to experience before eventually being at peace. What did the female demon mean?

Perhaps Mukuro was right - there was so much more he needed to experience in his life. Yet, Hiei was unsure _what_ that was.

He shut his eyes. He was losing consciousness. A blurred image of _powder blue hair strands_ appeared before him.

"Hiei!"

A shriek of Kuwabara's voice pulled him back to reality. He tried his hardest to see from the stream of water. From the looks of it, Kuwabara had slain several low-class demons that were mind slaves because of Sayuri's Jagan eye. The human was breathing heavily - he was not as fit as he was, now that Kuwabara had aged. Despite it, he trudged on, eventually clearing the demons and approached Sayuri with the intent to attack her.

"I don't care if you're a woman anymore. I will fight you. There's no way that you'll kill my stupid, lying _brother-in-law_!"

Hiei's blood ran cold (if there was any left in his system). Did Kuwabara just say those words? He had heard of that term before. Yusuke had explained to him of the term "brother-in-law" when the demi-demon cracked a joke about Kuwabara dating his twin sister.

Kuwabara was famed for using whimsical phrases like "warrior of love", but there was no mistake that the human knows about Hiei's relation to Yukina. If he did, where did he get the truth from? Did Yukina know too?

He was fighting Sayuri now, though it was difficult for Kuwabara's spirit sword to wound her because of the endless demons that hurled onto him. It was uneasy for the enemy as well, for she had to separately focus on fighting the psychic with the Jagan eye while drowning the fire demon with her hydrokinesis.

Deciding that Hiei was unable to fight, she released him, letting him fall onto the lake. She concentrated on the human instead, having the upper hand. One demon managed to bite Kuwabara on his shoulder. The human howled in pain, eventually slicing the demon with his spirit sword. This distracted him, not noticing that Sayuri had closed in on him.

With a wicked grin, she held a death grip on his wrist, pointing his own spirit sword to his chest. He spattered out blood and stumbled back.

"A Greek man that I once _ferried_ said: _live by the sword, die by the sword_ "

* * *

The fire demon swam up the lake as quickly as he could. Never mind the issues between them or the fact that Kuwabara knew his secret, the psychic needed help. However, when he resurfaced, he was too late - the human had been impaled. He was alive, but the wound looked fatal and required immediate healing.

Come hell or high water, Hiei had to win this fight and get Kuwabara to safety.

Yet, he had to explore his options: his katana had been broken into two, his legs were stabbed, the enchantment seal prevented the dragon from emerging and his Jagan eye was wounded. What can he do?

The lesser demons were surrounding them. On top of fighting the aquatic bitch, he had to be mindful that the crowd might hurt him or Kuwabara - that will be game over for them.

"Fuck-"

He snarled in contempt. He had to do the unthinkable. It will bruise his ego, but that was out of the question.

Having Kuwabara slung on the back of his shoulders, Hiei turned and fled. Hiei was not a coward to back down a fight - he never did. He had always pressed onto the battlefield head-on. But Kuwabara's life was on the line because he tried to come to the rescue. Despite not getting along with Kuwabara, Hiei had chosen Kuwabara's safety over his pride. Plus, he was not letting the man die without having a conversation regarding discovering his relation to Yukina.

As Hiei fled, the stab wounds on his legs hurt. Yet, he kept running. He fumbled about and blew the instrument to call Puu. Get somewhere safe, call Puu and get the hell out of this place. Hiei was unsure if his legs could carry both of them any further.

The little demon breathed in heavily - there was an unfamiliar feeling in his chest. It was a similar sentiment he had felt when Yusuke was fighting Sensui before the detective's third death: fear.

He was not afraid of the enemy. He could not give a damn what powers the bitch has or whatever her motive was. It was the lack of assurance that both of them will make it alive that made him fearful.

Hiei would never admit this, but something about the four of them banding together in missions felt just about right: Yusuke, Kurama, Kuwabara and him.

It will never be the same if one of them would just disappear.

* * *

(Winter 2011)

"It will never be the same if you go to the Glacial Village again, though. I'll go on my own if the memories are too haunting," the fox demon offered with a smile.

"Don't take me for a coward, fox-"

"I'm not saying you are, dear friend-"

* * *

He should have let Kurama do all the job, but something within him screamed that it was his duty. There were many people he failed to protect, even his own flesh and blood. The least he could do was to put an end to whoever was disturbing the late boy's resting.

He managed to send a discrete note to Rui, to meet them at the pit of the cliff where they had executed the male infants.

Kurama and Hiei arrived at that rendezvous, overseeing the horrific view.

Right in front of them was the mountain pile of little bones - the executed male infants. Those that were cast out because of a narrow-minded custom that these ice maidens had followed. Not even given an explanation or a chance to disprove them. The right to be nourished, to be loved and to live - had fallen along with the gravity that pulled these male babies into their plunging death. Then that possibility that foetus imps fed on them for nutrition - unforgivable.

Hiei's murderous energy spiked.

It angered him because of two things:

One, Hiei _could_ have been in that pile of bones.

Two, the hybrid did not even have the privilege to be born. Yet, these ice maidens executed their healthy, living and newborn male infants. Merely following orders and silently crying. They did nothing. They were cowards. They were not willing to stand up to authority to _fight for their sons._

They had _let their sons_ die.

The way _he_ had failed and let _his own_ son die.

 _The lost boys_... Those outcasted male babies... Not even their resting place was peaceful. Becoming a feeding ground for foetus imps. Unforgivable.

"Come out. Stop cowering in the shadows, Rui," Hiei called out.

Rui appeared, still meek and afraid of the murderous vibe that reeked from Hiei.

Hiei spoke up, "Judging from this pile and where the river body was - you purposely threw me in a different angle. You knew I had a higher chance of crashing into the waters than a pile of dead meat. Consider sparing your life as you did for mine."

"I know you won't forgive the ice maidens," Rui whispered, tears running from her cheeks and then solidifying into white stones, "but I am truly sorry for what happened to you and your family."

"Maybe you could have spared those tears and grief into doing something about this," Hiei pointed at the terrifying mass of cadavers of those lost children. Kurama placed his hand on Hiei's shoulder to calm him.

 _Those lost sons. Their sons. His son. Never to return home._

"Rui, we wanted to meet here because we wanted to ask about the foetus imps. We believe you have dealt with them before. We know their nature, but not how to kill them," Kurama changed the subject. This was their initial motive.

"Yes, they had terrorised us from time to time. That is why- that's how I knew that you were alive, Hiei. No foetus imp attacked Hina," Rui reasoned, "in order to kill them, you need to catch them. The parents of the original dead infant or foetus will need to burn it with a part of their body - say a fingernail or a hair strand. It will disappear for good. We were able to find some of the men that the ice maidens had affiliated with and purged the imps. "

"Thank you, Rui," the fox demon bowed his head slightly. Hiei did not bother to thank the ice maiden.

"Hiei?"

"I should have told you this, but your father did stop by and he said he was looking for you. That's how I reassured to him you survived the fall because Hina wasn't attacked by those imps. But when he found out that Hina passed away, his energy immediately drained," Rui said.

"I know. The man's dead. Never knew him."

* * *

 _Just like how Hiei and the child never truly knew one another. Fate seemed to keep repeating itself over and over._

"Hiei, the fact that your father looked for you meant that you were still wanted," Kurama said with a smile.

"Doesn't matter. His search was futile," Hiei replied, looking away in shame. The guilt that he tried to bury. The unnecessary hatred he carried for his unknown father and defenseless mother.

 _He was never found._ He was still a lost son. Until now, _he remained lost_. In his despair. In his grief. In his thoughts. All repressed in his facade.

"We need to meet up with Botan to exterminate the foetus imp," Kurama decided.

Hiei looked at him darkly. It was something that he did not wish to happen, but it was inevitable.

"I know it's difficult, but you have to face Botan-"

* * *

 _1) I had always wondered how it will be like if someone stabbed Hiei's Jagan eye (sadistic, but meh)._

 _2) This fic will forever be sad, just take note. Even if Botan and Hiei meet, it's not gonna be an instant "sorry and then makeup sex" stuff._

 _3) There's lots of talk about Hiei being rejected by the ice maidens. But I had always wondered if there were other male babies that got executed and what that pile would be like? How would someone feel about it?_

 _4) I wanted to have the play on the meaning of "lost". Meaning either "not found", "not at the rightful place" or simply "lost in one's thoughts/sadness"._

 _5) I don't know what happened in canon about Hiei's father. From the way Hina reacted, it's either she loved the man enough to break the rules - so he might have cared and may have died along the way. Or Hina did not have the choice (she might have been forced to "interact" with a male demon), so Hiei's father may not have cared. I'm going with the former because of the "father-and-son" theme here._

 _6) I know I'm making up stuff about demon species. Yeah, I'm not sure why my imagination is running wild but I'm taking advantage at the fact that these series have demons and spirits. I tried to research mythologies, especially Japanese ones, but none fit the purpose I wanted. But of course, I'm not placing them for fun, mainly because I need them for the plot._


	8. Fighting For Someone

Of Marigold and Dragonflies

Chapter 8

"Fighting For Someone"

A/N: Sorry for the one-year hiatus! It was phew! Such a busy year. Finals are over and I'm back to writing. Hopefully you readers are not too bored of this story yet, ya?

Short recap:

 _The prologue begins with Botan mourning for her unborn child. She visited his first death anniversary at the boy's grave. Unknowingly to her, Hiei was also at the scene. They have not talked after the incident, and Hiei cared more than Botan thinks. He began to reminisce when their whole affair started, at Keiko and Yusuke's wedding roughly 10 years ago. After their first sexual encounter, he had not seen her for 10 long years, even though that incident was permanent in his memory. He saw another opportunity to have such an encounter again when Kurama approached him for a new mission from the Spirit World. Upon arriving, he visited Botan's bedroom, to which he found out that she too, was lusting for him. The pair began their long-awaited, yet interrupted, amorous activities when Hiei was required to complete the mission. Much to his disapproval, Hiei was paired with Kuwabara to fight against numerous mind-controlled demons, who was under another wielder of the Jagan Eye, a water demoness and sorceress named Sayuri. The woman impaired Hiei's Jagan Eye, as well as Kuwabara. Heavily injured, and knowing that Kuwabara needed immediate treatment, Hiei escaped with Kuwabara to find shelter. Back in the present time, a mysterious demon imp had been attacking Botan and Hiei non-stop. The incident seemed to have something to do with their unborn child and the pair might need to reunite once more to solve the issue._

* * *

(Spring 2007)

Hiei ran as quick as lighting, in spite of the sharp pain of his legs.

He looked up at the skies. It was about to rain in the demon world soon. Rain in the demon world was more acidic than the human world's by a thousand. He had to find shelter fast. Most demons are immune to the acid rain, but he doubted that Kuwabara can survive it.

After travelling, Hiei found a cave that looked deserted. Good. His wounded legs were about to give away and the acid rain was about to start. He settled Kuwabara on the wall, propping him to sit up. The man was mortally bleeding. The fire demon used his cloak and ripped it off, creating a tourniquet for Kuwabara's wound. That should do it by then. Hiei had only hoped that the darn bluebird will find them soon.

"You okay there, shrimp?"

"I should ask you the same," Hiei replied with hostility, but it was not as condescending as he normally sounded.

"It'll heal in about two days. But for your case..."

Kuwabara grunted in pain. He smiled bitterly, "yeah... it hurts like hell. It's nice to be a demon, I bet. When you're human, your wounds heal really slow. Especially once you've reached 30. Time flies fast. Yesterday it seemed like I was just a teen having a rumble with these demons, next thing I know is that I can't even foresee that attack. Time and ageing is something that all humans need to battle. Something that Toguro cowered away from. That's why Genkai appeared disappointed in her former friend."

The fire demon had no comments. He simply listened. It did not occur to him before, but all except for him were ageing and having their bodies deteriorate. Kuwabara was human to begin with and Yusuke chose to suppress his demon side just to grow old with his human lover. He was uncertain about Kurama, due to the fact that Kurama had taken another demon for his mate. Surely Kurama would have done something to stop ageing as he was co-existing with Minamino Shuichi. It still did not change the fact that Shuichi's body was withering.

Another old-age emotion within him awakened. It was identical to the time when Rui tossed him out of the cliff: exclusion.

It was silly of course. It was bound to happen, yet Hiei had often pushed the thought away.

"You've been gone for long, Hiei. Lots of things happened in ten years-"

That's right. He was the one that decided to keep clear away from the group. He had isolated himself in the demon world, not even paying a single visit to anyone. He should not have felt excluded because he chose that consequence. There was no need to get attached to alliances. The Dark Tournament and conflict with Sensui was over. They only need to meet up during the Demon World Tournaments.

Enough with this! There was something more important that he needed to know.

"Back during the fight with Sayuri, you called me-"

Kuwabara tried his best to smile. "You are kind of my brother-in-law, right? Yukina is my wife," he replied.

"What makes you say that?"

"It all started when Yukina and I tried to have kids," he answered.

Hiei got slightly irked at the statement but did not show it. Of course, the oaf tried something to his sister! But then again... Hiei did nothing to stop their union, save for that pathetic garther-and-bouquet game that resulted in him tasting the ferry girl. He was sure that a man deluded with ideals of love will fawn over Yukina and bless her with affections.

"We got Kurama's woman to help us research your species and it turns out... that not only the ice maiden that broke their laws will give birth to an ice maiden and a forbidden male child, but the female offspring will also be barren as well. That was why Yukina did not get pregnant via immaculate conception or any other means," the psychic explained.

Hiei felt the genuine sadness that lingered in Kuwabara's tone. Perhaps the couple wanted their own kids. Another dark thought flashed across Hiei's brain.

"If the female offspring is the twin that is barren, then does that mean... the male twin is not?" the koorime asked. Kuwabara nodded his head. There was blandness in Hiei's guts - he was numbed at the thought that he could have children.

"And if the cycle repeats with male koorimes, the ice maiden population becomes infertile and eventually gets wiped out-"

Hn. So maybe that's why those old hags wanted him out badly. They did not want males running around to repopulate and create more infertile ice maidens.

"On top of that, forbidden males are all fire demons. Which contradicts their elemental nature. Rabenda speculates that old hags used the opposing elemental properties of male counterparts to manipulate others to dispose of male offsprings by saying that they have the ability to destroy their glacial home," Kuwabara added.

"Get to the point-"

"Alright... So there are two kinds of fire demons: one that is born in a species of fire demons, like the guy you fought back in the Dark Tournament and fried him into ashes; the other is male counterparts of ice maidens, you fall under that category. So, I had this weird sense, you know? Why would Yukina let you keep her hiruseki stone even though you said that her brother is dead? And how would you know how he would look like? It didn't make sense to me. At first, I thought that there was an affair going on between you two... since you had that softened gaze at her. But nah... that couldn't be it-"

Hiei rolled his eyes. Of course, Kuwabara just had to speculate ridiculous ideas.

"It was love, but not romantic. It was more of a familial kind and then I remembered someone mentioned that you have a sister, but we've never seen her before. And you've never had a home until Mukuro gave you one. I ain't no Sherlock Holmes, okay? I had to ask my sister to help me put the pieces together... I was afraid of the facts at first but one day I manned up to ask Yukina about it. She didn't want to tell me at first, but I was going to confront you about it and that's when she stopped me. She told me she understood why you didn't tell her. I was still mad at you. I almost wanted to travel here and give you my fist of justice-"

"And you had accepted the truth. Why?"

"Look. I don't know you much. All I know is that I don't agree with most of what you say or do. You're grumpy, arrogant and you're asocial as hell. Has this weird freaky eye too. But I get that perhaps that's why you didn't want to let Yukina know. You've stayed away from us because you were scared," Kuwabara answered.

"Fool, I fear nothing-"

"Say whatever you like," the human rebutted, "the stuff you say and the things you do are completely different things. You're scared because being with us made you feel belonged and you know it won't last."

"You speak as if you know me. You're fortunate that you're injured, for I might have done damage to you," Hiei growled, irritated. He frowned at the human's words.

"See? You proved my own point!"

"Shut up-"

Kuwabara laughed at the fire demon's behaviour until he winced because his injury was in the way. "I guess a leopard doesn't change his spots. Shrimp, you've got to stop acting like that one guy in the corner at parties. Demons live for a long time. A man needs friends. Or at least, open up to Yukina. Can't be a shutout forever," he chided.

The fire demon snorted.

"I don't need friends. What I need is strength," he said, though his voice sounded weak.

A stone crumbled through the cave.

"Yeah, yeah," the psychic dismissed, "keep lying to yourself. What's the point in fighting to the top if you do not know who you are fighting for?"

Another echo travelled to the raven-haired man's ears.

"Shush-" Hiei hissed.

"What do you mean shush!? I was trying to give you a talk between men!"

"No really, keep quiet," Hiei snapped, "there's something else lurking in the cave."

Strange. Its presence was negligible. Almost non-existent. As if... it was tamed.

Just then, two big eyes opened on the walls of the cave. A shadow emerged, taking the silhouette of a human face.

"That looks like-"

"That's an Uraotoko. The same species as Itsuki's familiar when we were fighting Sensui," Hiei interrupted. What bad luck they had caved themselves into. The eyes glared angrily at them. He did not like the idea of being trapped within the Uraotoko and he doubted that Kuwabara had enough strength to produce his dimension-cutting spirit sword.

The Uraotoko glared at them, angered by their intrusion into its home. The shadow crept quickly, approaching the duo. Hiei got to his feet, ready to carry Kuwabara and run from the creature.

Then, as if right on cue, Puu was gliding down, giving a roar to announce his arrival. Hiei immediately responded to the blue phoenix's noise and hopped to a tree, getting ready to escape from the Uraotaoko. He placed Kuwabara on the back of the bird first. He was about to get on Puu's back as well, but something gripped his feet.

With a strong force, Hiei was dragged by the Uraotaoko, away from his two allies. Puu gave a startled cry, flapping its wings and ready to dive after him.

 _No. If Puu goes in to save me, chances are all of us will get swallowed by the Uraotaoko and the oaf may not receive medical attention for his injury._

"Get out of here and find Yusuke, you stupid bird!" Hiei yelled, flicking a mass of fireball to the tree nearby. Frightened, Puu flew off with Kuwabara on its back. The Phoenix should be able to get Kuwabara to safety on time.

Great, now all he needed to do was to get away from the shadowy creature clinging onto him. Yet, Hiei found himself losing air fast. His senses were getting blurry once more.

The last thing he remembered was seeing Puu soar towards the sky before the darkness consumed him.

* * *

(Winter 2011)

"There has to be another way," Hiei frowned.

"I'm afraid we are running out of options," Kurama said, "you need to face Botan, sooner or later. She is the mother of your son after all."

"You know what happened before-"

Hiei was attempting his best to bulldoze this solution into oblivion. There has to be a way without needing to contact the ferry girl, right? He didn't want- no, couldn't bring himself to see her.

"It was no one's fault," the fox smiled sadly, "both of you need to know that."

Hiei went silent. His inner thoughts could say otherwise.

"Do you care about your son?"

Kurama suddenly asked.

The question was uncalled for. It hit Hiei like a block of burning ice on his spine.

"Wha-?"

"I said," Kurama repeated, louder this time, "do you care about your son?"

The fire demon hesitated. Despite the turbulence this issue had put him through, he hasn't had the luxury to find a conclusion, or to put his emotions in simple words. Yet, if he did not care about the child, then why did his death had such an impact on him?

"I-"

Hiei was a natural deceiver. But he could not bring himself to lie about what he feels for the child. There was no way in hell that he never cared about this at all. To be exact, it bothered him. A lot. A lot more than he had predicted.

He closed his eyes. The emptiness that lurked within him, disturbing him like a tsunami.

Out of all memories, he remembered Kuwabara's words:

 _What's the point of fighting to the top when you don't know who you are fighting for?_

"I never wanted to go back to the glacial village. I resented it. But for the child, I did," Hiei answered.

The fox gave him a knowing smile. Kurama was attempting to persuade Hiei to take up the option of seeing Botan. The fox demon got him trapped: by using the methods of pathos in persuasion - emotions were powerful instruments when persuading someone. And Kurama managed to remind Hiei that his shame should not overpower his concern for the child.

Hiei squinted his eyes. He knew Kurama had won. Hn, the fox always had a way when it comes to the mind. The clever bastard.

"The boy had already persuaded me into doing things I hated. In countless of occasions. I do not see why I can't do it again-" Hiei admitted.

"But I might have a limit-" he weakly said, walking off.

Kurama shook his head. He knew that those words held no weight - Hiei's limits, when it comes to his son, were boundless.


	9. The Ferry Girl

Of Marigolds and Dragonflies

Chapter 9

"The Ferry Girl"

* * *

(Winter 2011)

As soon as Yusuke heard from Kurama that there was trouble, he decided it was about time he visited Botan. He had not seen her for a long time. Everyone was just...

Busy.

Or maybe, he was avoiding the business with the Spirit World. He was done being a Spirit Detective - he had moved on in his next phase of life. He gave up his demonic powers to have a normal family with Keiko. The death of Botan's baby caused a tear in the group, knowing that the wound was beyond repair.

In his defence, he did see members of the team, but never as a whole. There were occasions Kurama and his mate would pass by the Human Realm, Botan kept herself busy with reaper duties and Hiei was like an odd gem that was buried deep in the Demon World.

Then there was Kuwabara. The man had not wakened up from the coma because of the mission they had years back. Kuwabara was kept in the medical ward in the Spirit World. Mukuro was generous with lending out advanced medical equipment to heal the human, given that he fought off Sayuri that threatened both the Spirit and Demon world. He could not stay within the Demon World though, it was simply dangerous, so they placed him in the Spirit World.

Yusuke missed the guy. He was a friend. This was not the first time Kuwabara endangered his life to save someone else's. It was frustrating for Yusuke to not be able to do anything. Anything for his friends at all. He was growing old and it did not help that Keiko and his family demanded responsibilities from him. There was also the food stand that he had to maintain.

Yusuke was drained out. However, the incident regarding Botan and Hiei was grave. He needed to get his butt off and do something.

Of course, he had a discussion with Keiko and the possible incoming mission. He might need to leave for the Spirit World for a few days. Keiko, as far as demanding and stern she was, understood the impending need.

"Go, help Botan," she said with a smile. Keiko, too, wanted the best for her blue-haired friend.

"I'll be back, I promise-"

"I know," his wife nodded.

* * *

When Yusuke arrived, he was awed by the amount of talisman posted on the walls of Botan's safe house. Apparently she was on lockdown security because the demon imp attacked her.

"I heard it all from Kurama," Yusuke started, which got the ferry girl's attention.

"Good to see you Yusuke-"

"Good to see you too, Botan. It's been a while. Hey, looks like you've been glowing. These talismans blessing you with good looks too?" he tried to joke, but the enthusiasm died when he realised Botan was not in the mood.

"You okay?" he asked, sitting down next to her. She nodded her head in response. He let out a sigh, scratching the back of his head. He was not the person when it comes to comforting someone.

"How's Keiko?" Botan asked, trying to dispell the dooming silence between them.

"She's fine," he shrugged, "given that she's going to give birth in about 2 months-"

"That long?"

"Yeah, that's why Koenma and Kurama were reluctant to get me involved, but Keiko was understanding-"

"Wait," Botan interrupted, frowning, "Koenma and Kurama knew that Keiko was with a child?"

"Uhm... Yeah?" Yusuke answered, not liking Botan's growing negative energy.

"And... they never told me? Why?" Botan questioned, the taste of sublime betrayal was in her mouth.

"You know, it's because, it's because... you know the situation is Botan, you're- he tried to explain, "ah shit. Botan, you got it all wrong. Perhaps they were worried that it will trigger unpleasant memories. Nobody wants you to be more depressed than you are."

"Are you sure? Or is it because you think that I'll be jealous of someone having a baby?" she accused, raising her voice.

"What are you even saying, Botan? I don't think you will be-"

Botan shifted her eyes. The former detective caught the action.

"Wait, are you?" he said in disbelief. Botan had always been the cheerful bird who hovered around when something good happens in their friend's life. This was the first time he had seen her envious. It was different from her usual sunshine personality.

"I don't know-"

Yusuke was rendered speechless. He was unsure what else to say, but he did feel a sense of sympathy. It reminded him that Botan was a spirit who was once human, with human emotions. Envy and other dark, deep emotions were included.

It was just the case that she had always appeared so cheerful, that he had forgotten that she was capable of being in a dark place. He knew that she would definitely be grieving, but the recent admittance of envy and bitterness caught him by surprise.

 _Loss can really change someone_ \- he thought.

"I'm sorry, maybe I haven't been sleeping well," Botan began to talk again.

He shook his head, patting her shoulder, "that's okay. Is it because you have been having those dreams of your past life again? I heard that from Kurama's mate as well."

"Yeah, they seem to haunt me. I can't piece my life together-"

* * *

(Spring 2007)

Yusuke and Kurama were beginning to be exhausted. This was one heck of a goose chase. No leads so far and Kurama was beginning to conclude that the enemy had some power that blocks people from tracking him (or unknowingly, her).

It had been years since Yusuke had visited the demon realm. Sure, he participated in the first few Demon Tournaments, but ever since he decided to suppress his demon blood in order to live with his wife, he had missed out on all of them. On top of that, Yusuke had his hands full due to raising his daughter.

The stench of rotting wood and dried blood was unnerving. It did not bother Yusuke back then when he was young and fresh out from training. It only indicated how vulnerable and mortal he was now. The promise of his safety to his family proliferated his fear. It dawned on him that he was no longer a teenaged Spirit Detective who could be reckless. There was so much more at stake and responsibility that shouldered on him.

He sighed. There were so many changes too.

"Yusuke, look-"

Kurama's indication caused the former Spirit Detective to look up. He saw the silhouette of Puu hovering under the Sun, blocking its Sun rays.

He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Distressed was written all over Puu's facial expression as it descended from the skies. The fox demon and he shared a knowing nod before attending to the worried blue phoenix.

Panic flooded to him upon seeing Kuwabara, bloodied and unconscious, on Puu's back. He yelled, "Kuwabara! Hang in there!"

Yusuke's calling made Kuwabara regained consciousness, but pain shot up when he attempted to move. In a hoarse voice, he mustered all his strength to inform them, "Ura- Urameshi... Hiei's- Hiei is in trouble."

"Take it easy!" Yusuke said hysterically, the psychic's blood smearing his singlet, "who did this to you? We'll get help."

"A water nymph- with- with red hair and third eye... Sayuri... Find her-"

Koenma heaved a heavy sigh.

He could sense it. The spell that bounded him to The Golden Silence had been lifted. The burden of keeping the secret no longer held weight on his ankles. Someone had opened it. It was only a matter of time before they regained their memories.

The banging of his office door disrupted his thoughts. As expected, Yusuke rushed in, wrath and distaste displayed in his frown.

He slammed his fist on the Prince's desk and threatened, "you better have a good explanation, you thumb-sucking toddler."

Koenma remained unmoved. He knew it was his fault. His orders were often rash and dangerous that placed the team on near-death situations. This mission was no different.

"I'm getting sick of cleaning up the mess for you," Yusuke advanced, grabbing the toddler by the shirt, "and what do we get? An injured Kuwabara and Hiei is missing. We're not as strong as we once were. We're not your servants at your beck and call. I helped out of my friendship with you and them, but this- this is bullshit! We don't even know what this is all about because of the stupid curse you have. For all I know, this mission may not be even worth it!"

"Do not be ignorant, Yusuke. This mission is crucial," Ayame said defensively. She spoke so suddenly that it startled Yusuke. She was often reserved and quiet that she blended into the background. It was only that she communicated with him that Yusuke realised that she had been in the room from the moment he barged in.

Yet, Yusuke was not one to back down.

"Hey, look here missy, I don't care if you're defending pacifier-sucker here because you two have googly eyes with one another. Two of my friends are in deep shit. It has nothing to do with you," he fought back.

"As someone who is a resident of the Spirit World, I-"

"Ayame... Yusuke... Enough," the Spirit World Prince sighed, "Yusuke, if you think Ayame is not involved in this, then you are heavily mistaken. At the same time, Ayame, Yusuke is just rattled. He needs a proper explanation."

"Explain then-"

As if on cue, the large doors barged in without warnings. Kurama and Mukuro entered the scene. The presence of the Demon World ruler filled the air with intimidation. Koenma inwardly groaned, fear slightly rippling through him. The Spirit World Prince knew that such a confrontation will occur, just not this early.

Mukuro spoke with silent wrath, one that would create a chill on their spines, "I have heard that one of my most trusted soldiers had gone missing in the midst of your assigned missions. It was also due to this... impostrous thing..."

With that, Mukuro hurled forward the baggage she was holding. Sayuri laid on the ground before Koenma. The redheaded girl was all muffled, bloodied and bounded - only heavens know what had transpired when the Demon World ruler captured the nuisance that had ignited this problem. Yet, Sayuri glared at Koenma with deep hatred that made him flinch.

"There had been missing reports of demon-folk in my realm and it turns out, it was because of this pest controlling them. I could not track them because she has a Jagan eye. Coincidentally, she wanted The Golden Silence that belonged to the Spirit World. She may be a water nymph but I can sense that she was originally a spirit. So I would like you to- no, command you to explain," Mukuro added.

"Very well," Koenma nodded, feeling defeated, "The Golden Silence has opened anyway. There is nothing to hold me back from keeping the secrets that I've been cursed with any longer. Just know that it was a desperate attempt to keep my spirit-folk safe."

"And what dreadful secret is this?"

Slowly, Koenma answered hesitantly.

"It's... The secret about ferry girls-"


	10. The Ferry Girl II

Of Marigolds and Dragonflies

Chapter 10

"Ferry Girl II"

* * *

(Spring 2007)

"The secret about ferry girls-?"

"Yes.., do you know what happens when one dies?" Koenma asked the former spirit detective.

"If I remember correctly," Kurama joined in the debate, after having to stand idly for long, "most spirits pass on to the afterlife, be it heaven or hell. The second is reincarnation if the soul is not ready to be at rest. The third is purgatory, where the ones who had taken their own life undergo a cycle of re-enactments of their past lives till they are judged fit to pass onto the afterlife."

"You're not wrong Kurama," Koenma answered, "but not wholesomely correct either. There is a fourth one that majority of us don't know. You see, suicides are listed in the Spirit World laws as having the soul to abandon their life form, yet, for personal reasons, they might have done so out of not having an option. So inevitably, their spirit forms cannot cross over. They can neither go to heaven or hell. Since they had willingly taken their lives, the life form rejects their souls. Therefore, they cannot be reincarnated either. Hence, they undergo purgatory. Their souls linger in the human world for almost eternity until they can come to terms with their struggles that perpetuated them to commit suicide."

"That's... cruel," Yusuke muttered.

"Yes, it is. I do not agree with it either, but that is how the spirits' fates worked. It is unchangeable. The third fate, purgatory, however, are for souls who had made grave sins in their past life before they had taken their lives. Majority of them are those who had performed murder-suicides. So where do the ones who hardly sinned, yet had committed suicide, placed?" Koenma explained.

"You don't mean... Ferry girls are..."

Ayame's expression dimmed. So did Koenma's.

"Yes... That is the fourth path that was kept a secret from everyone. Ferry girls were once humans or demonesses that had hardly sinned, yet due to grieving circumstances, they had taken their lives. Because their souls remained pure, they lack the darkness in their energy to undergo purgatory. Yet, females are meant to create the miracle of life. Taking one, especially theirs, is disobedience to mother nature," Koenma continued.

"Therefore, their souls are enslaved to the Spirit World and perform duties as a grim reaper. They are meant to ferry other souls, those that had died due to natural causes or murder, to the River Styx for eternity," Kurama caught on, "that is their punishment, correct?"

Koenma nodded, the etch of worry in his face. He said shakily, "I was... in charge of the grim reapers ferrying the lost souls and judging those lost souls if they were able to go to heaven or hell. I was new to the job, but I didn't like it. Back then, the ferry girls... they had their memories of their past lives intact."

"So these women are neither living nor dead. They were forced to witness souls pleading for their lives - a constant reminder of life and death, and their choice not to cherish it. The absolute punishment for disobeying mother nature. How... distasteful," Mukuro said in spite.

"Wait... wait wait.. So how is it that Botan doesn't seem to remember anything?" Yusuke interrupted.

"That's because Koenma used The Golden Silence to wipe their memories out," Ayame replied, smiling slightly at him.

Koenma took this as an encouragement. "It ached for me watching them suffer. They were in pain. Sayuri was once a ferry girl, like Ayame and Botan. In her past life, she was a demoness, a water nymph to be exact. She had been in so much resentment and pain, that she ran away. After that incident, I attempted to gain knowledge that might prevent others from becoming ferry girls. I never got the answer. The nature of spirits and their fates are irreversible. I resorted to The Golden Silence. It was an artefact that can keep secrets and wipe a specific memory, under certain conditions. I had their memories removed and upcoming ferry girls', for the price of my silence. I can never speak the truth, even if I wanted to. It weighed heavily on me." he said.

At this, Sayuri immediately struggled from her restraints. She aggressively chewed onto the muffler that had kept her mouth from speaking. Once it broke, she yelled, "liar! You bastard of a prince, you don't dare to tell them what really happened, do you?"

She snarled at him, resentment in her eyes burning brightly.

"Sayuri, I-"

"Let her speak. I want to know why she has a deep grudge against you," Mukuro interrupted before Koenma could gain the conversation.

Sayuri's grin grew and she said, almost hysterically, "Ayame and I were lovers, we lived in a time before Enma put up the barrier. But fate forbids us. Not only because she was a human while I was a demon... We were both women. Such passions were frowned upon. Ayame was a princess supposedly betrothed to a King who loves demon hunting for the thrill and status, especially the aquatic ones. The nation treated hunting as a sport. Our love was forbidden. So one night- we drank poison, in the belief that our lives will be better in the other world. But darn it all! The Spirit World and its hypocrisy!"

She hissed, spitting the words out like venom, "we got stranded here and had to ferry some stupid souls who bargained for their lives. And you had the audacity to erase the other ferry girls' memories just to take Ayame for yourself! She's mine... And mine alone!"

Silence loomed at the strong declaration. No one dared to move or breathe, save for Ayame. The girl steadily walked towards Sayuri and knelt in front of her. In a flash, Ayame gave the girl a tight slap.

The rest of the people in the room held their breath. Ayame was shaking in deep wrath.

Sayuri was stunned, like a fly being caught in barbed wire. She slowly touched her reddened cheek. The hurt in her eyes was evident. In a hoarse voice, she asked, "why?"

"I did everything for you. I ran away from The Spirit World. Sold my soul to an enchantress just to gain my body back in order to have my powers as a water nymph. Raised an army of demons to steal The Golden Silence. I would not be surprised if it was a love potion that is influencing you to lean onto this thumbsucker of a prince here. I love you so much... I did everything-"

"Shut up-"

Ayame spoke in such vehemence that it surprised everyone.

"This is not love-"

"The truth about The Golden Silence is that it needs the burden of two people. The casters cannot speak the secret they have kept. Koenma and I happen to be those two people. Every other ferry girl, except me, had their memories of their past lives taken away. I chose to carry that burden. That is my toll for my failure and to remind myself how foolish I had been," Ayame elaborated.

"So you mean..." Sayuri's throat turned dry, "that all my efforts were futile?"

Ayame grimly nodded. Her ex-lover had tears stinging her eyes.

"I remember everything. We wanted to run away, but you coerced me to escape through death. Don't I get a say in this? I wanted for us to continue living. To have control over our own destiny, but you just wanted to escape. Then, I watched you wither into a being so hateful. Didn't you consider that I was suffering too? You only saw your pain. This is not love. The real love I felt was with Lord Koenma," Ayame said, her brows furrowing in a mixture of loathing and anguish.

"I don't understand..."

The accused slumped lowly on the ground.

"That wraps it up," Mukuro stepped forward, "how are we going to deal with this trouble?"

"We have no choice... Ferry girls cannot pass onto the afterlife. We have to lock her up," Koenma answered.

"That's not good enough, prince," Mukuro growled, "this girl disrupted my realm and is responsible for having my second-in-command missing. She had already escaped once, what happens if she does it again?"

The former spirit detective clicked his tongue. "I hate to say this, but Kuwabara is also in a critical state because of her."

"She's dangerous-"

"What if she escapes again? Are you able to repair more damage that she has caused?" Mukuro pressed on, "if you ask me, I have my ways to eliminate nuisances."

"But she is still a ferry girl and as far as I see it, she is under the Spirit World's hands," the Prince reasoned.

"Then she shouldn't have meddled in the Demon Realm in the first place!" the demoness rebutted.

"Enough!"

Everyone turned towards Ayame. She said, indignified, "I should be the one to deal with her."

"Ayame, no, you don't-"

"Lord Koenma, I knew her for as long as I can remember. I'm partly to blame for her descent. We both died together. I think I should know what her fate should be," Ayame explained, her tone being softer. She looked towards the ruler of the Demon World.

Mukuro gave an approving nod.

"What do you have in mind then?"

"You know that ability that a Ferry Girl is limited to use once and only for one person?"

"Ayame, you can't-"

"I'll be fine," Ayame touched Koema's shoulder with a gentle smile, "have faith in me."

"Okay-"

"Isolate Sayuri to another room and leave us be-"

* * *

Botan heard everything. From the truth about Ferry Girls' to Ayame's harshness.

The blue-haired girl was numb. What she thought about having fun eavesdropping onto Yusuke's missions became an explosion of hard-truths.

And what's more, Hiei was missing - the man who promised her ecstasy and the one who stirs her imagination. Or worse, dead.

She didn't know what to feel. Should she be angry? Upset? Worried about Hiei? She herself was a ferry girl, how did she end up committing suicide in her past life?

Before she could resolve the mixture of reactions within her, she hid behind a nearby pillar when she heard Ayame walking out, with Sayuri behind her in cuffs. Both girls looked pitiful, as Botan noted.

Out of curiosity, she followed them. Her mind was screaming that it can only handle so many truths in one day, yet, she was curious.

What was that ability that a Ferry Girl is limited to use once and only for one person?

Botan's premonition is that her body would remain restless if she did not witness the ability that Ayame was referring to. So, she followed them on her oar, as silent as a predator. The two eventually arrived at an empty room, isolated from the main body of the Spirit World. Botan hid behind the door, peeking momentarily through the keyhole.

"Sayuri, know that this fate is better than keeping you locked up in a cell for eternity. Ferry girls cannot rest and crossover to the other side. So it's best if I-"

"I know, you'll obliterate me to nothingness, I will never forgive you for this. But I suppose it is way better than keeping me alive to wither in jail," Sayuri answered.

Ayame whimpered. Her voice was in pain. Botan felt a dreadful pit on her stomach - it must have been difficult for Ayame to send off her former lover.

"Forgive me and know that... I really did love you," Ayame said in tears, then gradually emitting a bright spiritual glow from her fingertips.

"And if you knew me, you know I'll hold it against you, for as long as I am within your memory-"

 _Loathing something you used to love, that is the greatest resentment._

With her last words, Botan could only see a strong flash of blue light, so much that she had to shut her eyes.

* * *

 _"You don't have control over my fate!"_

 _Botan saw a woman who resembled her, with that unmistakable bright blue hair and purple eyes. The woman looked furious, despite being donned in the most beautiful ivory gown._

 _"You took away my treasure. There is no way that I will follow you!"_

 _"I am the one who is in control over my own fate-"_

 _Botan watched in horror as the lady revealed a dagger that was underneath the tresses of her outfit. Without hesitance, the dagger impaled her through the lungs, leaving no chance for recovery._

* * *

"Wake up, Botan-"

The nudging on her shoulder made her open her eyes. The first vision was Ayame's delicate looks. She felt a throbbing headache.

"What happened?"

"You passed out because of the enormous light that had emitted while I was sending Sayuri away-"

"Where'd she go?"

Ayame froze for the moment.

"Ayame... where did she go?" Botan persisted, "you and Koenma-sama had been hoarding secrets from us. Will you please stop hiding from us?"

"She went nowhere. That's all you need to know-"

The blue-haired ferry girl's heart jumped to her throat. It was difficult to process what Ayame had done. If Sayuri went nowhere, it meant that she ceased to exist. Turned into nothingness. What's more, it was evident that ferry girls have the ability to do that.

"Don't bother learning that ability. From the way I see it, _a person like you wouldn't need it_ ," Ayame smiled sadly, caressing Botan's locks.

* * *

(Winter 2011)

"Do you want to tell me the dreams you are having?" Yusuke asked, his attempt to make Botan feel more at ease.

"I- I remember bits and pieces. Some visions are pleasant, most were not. The more horrid they are, the more livid they are. The joyful moments, I hear myself talking to a man, at times, I hear a baby's laugh - yet, they are all a blur. Whoever I was, the same question comes to my mind: what was so horrible that made me end my life? Is it worse than what I'm experiencing now? What could possibly be worse than losing my sunshine?" she mumbled, almost crying.

"..."

She rested her head on his shoulder. She knew Yusuke was not the best guy to have her thoughts counselled, but she wanted a friend to listen.

"I can't even do the same thing I did since I'm a spirit. When the demon imp attacks, sometimes I think it's just best to-"

"Don't," Yusuke warned, "Don't fucking complete that sentence. Don't you ever think that way. Everyone will be worried about you."

"Really?"

"Yeah, there'll be no Botan who will annoy me to no end!" he joked, trying to lighten up the mood again, " Or cheer the Urameshi team, if we ever go on missions again. I hope not though. Pacifier-sucker needs to find someone else to be his slave. Maybe while he's at it, he should find someone to suck his own-"

"Yusuke!" Botan smacked his arm playfully.

"I was going to say 'his own pacifier'," he grinned, and both of them chuckled.

"That's still mean-" she laughed.

"There we go, that good old Botan's laugh! Everyone's world will be quite empty without your annoyingly-infectious-optimism," he said.

"Everyone? Even..." Botan hesitantly said.

"Even that little guy-" Yusuke reassured and placed his hand on her head.

Just then, the door flew open. Speak of the devil.

Kurama and Hiei were at the door. The koorime eyed at the pair. They seemed to be having a pleasant conversation before that.

He squinted his eyes when he noticed Yusuke's hand was on her the top of her head and that Botan's eyes were watery. He can only deduce that she had been crying and Yusuke was there to console her. How that worked out, he can never know. Yusuke was not really good at making someone feel better through words of sympathy, so he probably did it through humour.

Even though he knew that Yusuke had another woman and that his feelings towards Botan were platonic, seeing them both had always made him feel uneasy. Hiei was unable to identify the uneasiness.

 _Stay out of it. Hn, they could be fucking and I could not be bothered_ \- he thought.

 _That's where you're wrong_ \- his Jagan piped up. The Eye had been talking ever since Sayuri had jabbed the Jagan Eye. It would always contradict his thoughts.

 _Shut the fuck up_ \- Hiei spat back.

 _Funny. We see the same thing, Hiei. But you don't look. You still don't get it after all this time? I see what you see. You can't lie from me. You want to be the one who is comforting her, not anyone else_ \- it replied.

* * *

A/N: Okay, that's up! Three chapters to make up for the long hiatus.


End file.
